


Darkness Lies Within (A MoonClan Story)

by iamdenvermeer



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Cats, Battle, Blood and Gore, Cats, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mental Instability, Multi, Murder, Original Character Death(s), Original Clans (Warriors), Prophecy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2018-09-15 09:29:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 70,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9228821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamdenvermeer/pseuds/iamdenvermeer
Summary: Follow the story of Briarstorm, a deputy from MoonClan, born a kittypet, as she's suddenly thrown into leadership after a vicious battle that ultimately kills her previous leader, Hollystar. Read as the she-cat deals with the struggles of running her Clan without the help of her leader as well as deal with a steadily developing darkness that starts to grow within her Clan. A haunting prophecy is sent to her at the worst of times which leaves her paranoid and always looking over her back, even in her own Clan. Will she succeed in leading MoonClan to success or run her Clan into the ground? 100+k fic in total.Comments help a lot!





	1. Meet the Clans

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting on this site with a story I've been editing for 4 years now. This year (2017) is going to be the year where I finally will share my fan fiction with the internet. BTW this is inspired by Erin Hunter's books Warriors! I did not steal any characters just some of the concepts like StarClan and simple Clan life in general. Hope you enjoy! I would really love feedback on this!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a list of all the cats that will be mentioned in the story. Here's the link to a folder of what they look like if you need visuals: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0B83Sns3t9q38LThZZTBfYWVmOWs

MoonClan

 

Leader: Briarstar- Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes  
Deputy: Duskcloud- Large black tom with yellow eyes  
Medicine cat: Cinderfoot- Light brown and speckled she-cat 

Warriors:  
Rowanheart- Black and white tuxedo tom  
Hawkpelt- Brown and white tabby tom (Apprentice: Lionpaw)  
Sunstripe- Golden brown tabby she-cat  
Reedtail- Dark brown/ Red tom with a black tail tip (Apprentice: Toadpaw)  
Speckfoot- Black and brown spotted she-cat  
Cedarlight- White she-cat with brown patches and yellow eyes  
Feathertail- Fluffy orange tom with green eyes  
Clovertail- Small, tawny brown tom (Apprentice: Flamepaw)  
Swiftclaw- Gray tom with white paws  
Petalpool- Seal-pointed she-cat with blue eyes  
Bramblefall- Small calico she-cat with yellow eyes  
Amberstone- Brown and gray she-cat

Apprentices:  
Lionpaw- Golden brown tabby tom  
Toadpaw- Dark brown tabby tom with one folded ear  
Flamepaw- Orange tabby tom with green eyes

Queens:  
Echospirit- Small, bluish-gray she-cat with blue eyes(Mother to: Sagekit and Finchkit)  
Rainwhisker- Gray she-cat with white spots(Mother to: Berrykit, Volekit, and Bluekit)  
Leaffur- Small light brown she-cat(Expecting kits)

Kits:  
Sagekit- Gray she-cat with white paws  
Finchkit- Gray tom with a white underbelly  
Berrykit- Cream colored tom with white patches  
Volekit- Gray tom with brown paws  
Bluekit- Fluffy gray she-cat 

 

HazeClan

Leader: Webstar- White tom with brown eyes and light tan markings  
Deputy: Stormblaze- Gray and brown tabby tom  
Medicine cat: Spiderclaw- Slim, black she-cat

Warriors:  
Fallenleaf- Large golden brown tom with green eyes  
Vipertooth- Slim, light brown tortoiseshell she-cat (Apprentice: Brackenpaw)  
Dawnflower- Ginger brown she-cat with white paws (Apprentice: Poppypaw)  
Cloudstep- White tom with long legs  
Ivypelt- Brown and white tortoiseshell she-cat (Apprentice: Cedarpaw)  
Hawkthorn- Large dark brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Foxpaw)  
Birchfrost- Gray and white tom with two different colored eyes  
Applefur-Reddish-brown she-cat  
Darkfang- Mostly black and white tom with long canines  
Ashbreeze- Dark gray she-cat (Apprentice: Rustpaw)

Apprentices:  
Poppypaw- Brown she-cat with black spots  
Rustpaw- Mottled brown she-cat with blue eyes  
Foxpaw- Ginger tom with white paws and a black muzzle  
Brackenpaw- Reddish-brown tabby tom  
Cedarpaw- Brown and white she-cat

Queens:  
Dewdrop- Large brown and gray dappled she-cat (Mother to: Thistlekit, Cherrykit, and Woodkit)  
Spottedstorm- Gray tortoiseshell she-cat (Mother to: Pinekit and Blackkit)

Kits:  
Thistlekit- Tabby brown tom with white paws  
Cherrykit- Ginger and white she-cat  
Woodkit- Dark brown tom with yellow eyes  
Pinekit- Small gray and brown speckled tom  
Blackkit-Black tom with yellow eyes and white paws

 

RainClan

Leader: Boulderstar- Large gray tom with a white chest and paws  
Deputy: Splashfur- Pale brown she-cat with blue eyes  
Medicine Cat: Mosspelt- Mottled gray and white tom

Warriors:  
Nightfrost- Black she-cat with pale blue eyes  
Dustfern- Black tabby tom  
Firestorm- Orange tabby tom with gray eyes  
Spiderpelt- Black and white tom with long legs  
Ravenfur- Dark gray tom with green eyes  
Amberclaw- Light brown tabby and white she-cat  
Cedarthorn- White she-cat with darker patches  
Poppyfang- Light brown and black she-cat (Apprentice: Ripplepaw)  
Pebbleheart- Pale she-cat with black spots  
Berrywing- Small, gray and white dappled tom  
Ashcloud- Gray tom with a white tail tip (Apprentice: Stonepaw)  
Sootface- Dark brown tom with a black face and paws  
Birchpelt- Sandy brown she-cat with darker patches

Apprentices:  
Ripplepaw- Dark gray she-cat with lighter markings  
Stonepaw- Black and gray spotted tom

Queens:  
Frostleaf- Fluffy white she-cat (Mother to: Sunkit, Antkit, and Troutkit)  
Widowwake- Ginger she-cat with black markings(Mother to: Littlekit and Foxkit)

Kits:  
Sunkit- Golden brown she-cat with green eyes  
Antkit- Small dark brown and white tom  
Troutkit- Tabby tom with white paws  
Littlekit- Small gray tabby she-cat with yellow eyes  
Foxkit- Ginger colored tom with black markings and paws

 

GorgeClan

Leader: Springstar- White and gray she-cat with long legs  
Deputy: Runningpelt- Slim, dark brown and gray tom  
Medicine Cat: Freckleface- Small, tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes

Warriors:  
Tigernose- Dusty brown tom with darker stripes  
Falconwing- Reddish-brown colored tom with front white paws (Apprentice: Applepaw)  
Sparkbreeze- Sandy brown colored she-cat with green eyes  
Adderthorn- Black tabby tom with green eyes  
Crookedclaw- Black tom with a broken paw  
Bluetail- Gray she-cat with a missing tail  
Stoneflight- Mottled black and brown tom with a white underbelly  
Willowheart- White and brown she-cat  
Honeywhisper- Ginger colored she-cat  
Missingeye- Light brown tom with one eye  
Owlpelt- Fluffy, dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes  
Ravenmist- Black she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices:  
Applepaw- Slim black and brown she-cat with large yellow eyes

Queens:  
Pebblefur- Dark gray and white she-cat (Mother to: Harekit and Eaglekit)  
Fluttershine- Sandy brown and tabby she-cat (Expecting Kits)  
Mousetail- Small brown she-cat with a long tail (Mother to: Wolfkit and Rosekit)

Kits:  
Harekit- Small gray and brown she-cat  
Eaglekit- Brown and white tabby tom with yellow eyes  
Wolfkit- Black and brown tabby tom  
Rosekit- Dark brown she-cat


	2. Actual Chapter 1

The refreshing scent of fresh water blew into a tortoiseshell she-cat’s nose as she reached the top of StoneFalls, halting at the flowing water’s edge. The crashing of the water as it hit the rocks rang loudily in her ears as she sat down in front of it. The moon was high in the air, silently looking over her.

The she-cat took a deep breath, swallowing the nervous flutters in her belly, and then laid down. She eagerly lapped up some of the crashing water, the crisp cool flavor hitting her tongue and calming her in an instant. 

The tortoiseshell she-cat let herself become consumed by sleep a moment later. She awoke suddenly in a dark, yet magical clearing that was surrounded by tall pine trees. Her fluffy tortoiseshell blotched fur blew gently with the wind as she watched the stars ascend from the great Silverpelt.

A group of nine cats with stars dotted into their pelts appeared in front of her. She let out a quiet sigh as she slowly rose to her paws to greet a dark gray tom that was approaching her. She dipped her head in respect before he spoke.

“Welcome Briarstorm.” He greeted, his blue eyes glittering in the darkness. “Are you ready to receive your nine lives?”

Briarstorm, the tortoiseshell she-cat, nodded. “Yes Crowstar, I am ready.” Crowstar was Briarstorm’s father and was a previous leader of MoonClan when she was just a kit/apprentice.

Crowstar dipped his head and backed away from his daughter, his place taken by a small calico she-cat. 

“Sadie!” The tortoiseshell recognized instantly. The calico she-cat smiled and her voice came out evenly when she spoke to Briarstorm.

“My beautiful daughter, I am very proud of how far you have come in your life.” The she-cat meowed lovingly at Briarstorm. “From a naive little kittypet kitten to a Clan leader. You were my strongest kit which is why I brought you to the Clans to live with your father.”

The calico sighed sadly. “I just wish I had more time to spend with you before I had passed.” 

Briarstorm placed her paw on her paw. “You’ll get to see me whenever you want when it’s my time join StarClan.” She promised. "And if you choose to visit me in my dreams, if you wish."

Sadie purred loudly and dipped her head. “With this first life, I give you Nobility. Use it well to stay true to your Clan and see it that they stay noble to MoonClan in return.”

Briarstorm just nodded and licked her ear.“Thank you Sadie.” She was never very close to her mother as she had died soon after she was brought to MoonClan but still loved her as much as any kit should. 

The poor kittypet Sadie had died shortly after joining MoonClan. She was chased out of the territory by Briarstorm’s former, prejudice clanmates without Crowstar’s knowing and she slipped, falling into the Gorge that marked the border to GorgeClan, a rival Clan. Her body was found by a GorgeClan patrol days later and she was properly buried by MoonClan at ElderRock.

All of a sudden, a painful shock surged through Briarstorm’s body when she touched her mother’s spiritual body. It left her winded and staggering on her paws. 

‘My first of nine lives.’ She thought, wearily. 

Another cat, a large, long-haired white tom paced up to her, his fur flurrying with every step. Briarstorm’s eyes began to water in his presence. 

“Cloudfoot.” She choked out, barely able to look at him.

The tom purred loudly and she met his crisp blue eyes. She saw the longing within them and wished so very badly that he was still alive. Cloudfoot had been her mate before he died in the battle against HazeClan. He had fought hard and served his Clan well, but all that came with the cost of his life.

“Please don’t cry, my love.” He purred softly. “I will always be with you. Remember, for now, you have a Clan to look after.” He paused to lick her cheek. “With this life, I give you Strength. Use it well to not only defend your Clan but to also make the hardest decisions in your life as leader.”

Once again, a pain struck through the tortoiseshell’s body as she received another life but she recovered quicker than the last. 

A golden brown she-cat rose to her paws and greeted her with the dip of her head. “I have nothing much to say but that I am proud to have had you as my apprentice and hope that MoonClan has faith in you as their leader.” She stated. “With this life, I give you Courage. Use it to have no fear in sticking up for your Clan, no matter what happens, and to never back down from a fight.” 

Briarstorm nodded in gratitude. “Thank you Sparrowheart.” 

The golden she-cat was Briarstorm’s mentor. She had passed due to slipping off of a steep ledge and cracked her head open. Her dying yowl rang in Briarstorm’s ears as she received the painful life from her old mentor. Another shock rippled through her but it was less intense than the previous two.

A kit almost identical to Briarstorm other than the striking blue eyes skipped up to her. More tears formed in Briarstorm’s eyes from seeing the young tom again. “My little Adderkit.” She mewled, reaching out to the kit.

Adderkit rubbed his head between her front legs, purring affectionately, then stepped away again. “Mother, don’t grieve over my death. I was destined to be bitten by that snake.” He reassured, his blue eyes shining. 

Adderkit was Briarstorm’s first born kit. At only two moons old, he and his brother had sneaked out of the camp one night and traveled through MoonClan’s rocky territory. Adderkit was bitten by a snake that night, dying from its venom. His body was found along with his crying brother by the dawn patrol the next morning.

Briarstorm still held the blame to herself and so did her other son, Hawkpelt. Adderkit purred, bringing his mother back from her memory. “With this life, I give you Loyalty. Use it to guide your Clan in times of need and trust that they will be loyal to you and you to them as long as you live.” 

After the life was received, fierce pain striking her like a snake, the tortoiseshell she-cat shed a single tear, happy to know that her dead kit still cared for her in StarClan.

Crowstar, her father, gave her the life of Passion next. He had fell in love with the kittypet Sadie when he was only deputy of MoonClan and had passed from sickness, a few moons after Sadie fell into the Gorge. 

An old, silver colored she-cat had ambled forward, her face white from age. Her name was Larkwing and she gave the life of Endurance.

She was the oldest living cat in the Mountains at one point before she leapt off Elder Rock herself, and had obtained the most knowledge of surviving in such a rough climate. She had mentored Snakestar, a previous MoonClan leader, on the terrain as a young apprentice when the Clans first traveled there, many seasons before. 

Briarstorm wasn’t born when all that happened so she didn’t remember her but still gave her highest respect to her. 

With a sly grin, a muscular black tabby strode up, his crooked whiskers twitching. He waved his tail in a playful way and his tone was flirty when he spoke. “My my, is it good to see your face again, dearest Briarstorm.” He began, purring his words out. 

“It's unfortunate that we meet again with me being in StarClan and you still alive but so be it. You’ll make me proud with whatever you do.” 

Briarstorm’s face burned with flattery at his compliments. “With this life, I give you Love. Use it well for all the cats in your care.” The tom leaned in, his whiskers brushing with Briarstorm’s. “Especially for the tom who loved you first.” 

From across the clearing, Briarstorm heard a low growl from no other than Cloudfoot. She chuckled quietly at his jealousy and met the tabby’s steady warm gaze. 

“I’ll be sure to remember that, Redfang. Farewell.”

Redfang smirked and gave her the life, which was surprising stronger than the last, and paced back over to his spot in the row of cats. A small, oddly colored calico tom replaced him in front of Briarstorm. 

“With this life, I give you Relentless Energy. You’ll need it to keep up with the young ones in your Clan and to stay inspired while leading your Clan.”

After she recovered from receiving his breathtaking life, Briarstorm searched the tom’s eyes, looking for a sign of recognition to occur within herself. But before she could make any connections, he interrupted her with the clearing of his throat. 

“I am Snakestar, leader of MoonClan prior to Crowstar. I’ve never met you until this very moment but I am indeed impressed if what I heard what you’ve accomplished in MoonClan, in spite of being born a kittypet, is true. I bow thy head in respect to you, young she-cat.” 

Briarstorm felt humbled by the old cat’s words and bowed in return. “Thank you, Snakestar.”

Snakestar stepped back as the final cat rose to speak, her dark brown fur with patches of light instantly warming Briarstorm with admiration and chilling her with grief. There stood her old leader, gleaming transparently. 

The old MoonClan leader only passed two sunrises prior, dying from the infected wounds that came from the battle with HazeClan. Not a scar on her body was seen now. She was ultimately healed by Starclan upon entering their ranks. 

“Little Briarstorm, I always knew I wanted you to succeed me in leading MoonClan even when I was the deputy myself and you were an apprentice.” She began, compassion strong in her aged voice. “Your sharp hearing and acute ability to learn quickly and determination you have in all of what you’ve done prior showed me you had great potential.”

The she-cat glanced away but looked back almost instantly, her yellow eyes shown with slight embarrassment. “I have to admit, I was a bit jealous when Crowstar gave you to Sparrowheart and I was given clumsy Rowanheart to mentor. But, of course, I got over it and saw that you were trained expertly from a great mentor and would not have asked for anything different to occur.”

Briarstorm’s pelt heated up from her praise but kept quiet until the StarClan cat was finished. “Anyway, I digress. With this life, I give you Protection. Use it to fiercely protect your Clan like a mother with her kits or a Hawk with its freshkill.”

Briarstorm stepped closer and licked her cheek. “Thank you Hollystar.” Hollystar helt an emotional gaze with the younger she-cat after gifting her the life before begrudgingly padding back into line. Briarstorm would never forget that look. 

It was similar to the look when she was chosen as deputy of MoonClan. Most of the Clan had disagreed with the decision but Hollystar had believed in her the most. 

Crowstar shifted until he faced all the cats and yowled at the dark sky. 

“I hail by your new name, Briarstar! Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine live of a leader and StarClan grants you leadership of MoonClan. Defend it well, care for young as well as old and and honor your ancestors as well as the warrior Code. Live each life to the fullest with pride and dignity!”

All the nine cats began cheering Briarstar’s new name as they slowly faded away into the darkness, with the last thing she sees is Cloudfoot’s gleaming blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 2

The tortoiseshell she-cat woke to the sudden feeling of water flying across her muzzle. She slowly blinked her eyes open. Letting out a yawn, she observed her surroundings. She was sat on top of StoneFalls, the sun rising high and almost being blocked out by a line of towering pine trees that sprouted up from a few fox-lengths away.

Briarstar had somehow ended up with her muzzle halfway in the StoneFalls’s water crevasse while dreaming, her face soaked with freezing water. Slowly, she rose to a sitting position and began washing her face with her paws, the water cascading continually behind her.

Something rustled in the grass below the she-cat, causing her to pause from her grooming and drop down into a crouch. A few heartbeats passed and the rustling continued, making the tortoiseshell feel antsy. The one thing she yearned for right now was a fresh meal. Briarstar twitched her tail in impatience but didn’t dare to move from her expert position, worried that she may scare off the ‘prey’.

Unexpectedly, a light brown and speckled she-cat pounced up from the grass, causing Briarstar to yowl and leap up in surprise. The tortoiseshell she-cat stumbled back and fell over the rock, landing with a hiss while the other she-cat purred in amusement and hopped up beside her.

“Good to see you finally awake!” She meowed cheerfully. “It’s half past sunhigh and I was thinking that you’d never get up.”

Briarstar rolled over on her side and groaned. “Don’t scare me like that, Cinderfoot.” She hissed, sitting up to lick at her ruffled fur. “Aren’t you medicine cats suppose to be calm? After all, you do hold the wisdom of StarClan right?”

Cinderfoot licked Briarstar’s ear, undaunted her clanmate’s irritation, and smiled. “Of course we do, but we deserve to have a little fun once in awhile. We can’t all be uptight and cranky like ole’ you.”

Briarstar groaned, no point in arguing with the lighthearted medicine cat. She shook out her ruffled fur once more before leaping down from StoneFalls and landing softly on the grass below. Cinderfoot followed suit and once down, she brushed her tail along the tortoiseshell’s back.

“So, I assume that I may address you as Briarstar now?” She asked with the tilt of her head. 

The new leader gave her chest an embarrassed lick before slowly nodding. “Well I suppose so.”

Cinderfoot gave her an affectionate bump on her shoulder. “Well Briarstar, I suppose we should get a move on if we want to make it home by sunset.”

Briarstar agreed but before they set off together, Cinderfoot lifted her nose to the air and took a long sniff. “You should probably go on ahead of me.” The medicine cat advised, looking back at her. “I can smell some herbs not far from here. My stash back home is getting low which not would be good before Leaf-Bare. You understand right? I promise I won’t be too far behind you.”

Briarstar flicked her tail as in she understood and took off past the medicine cat into the pine forest. She crossed past the neutral territory lines and headed straight into HazeClan territory.

...  
Much time passed as Briarstar maneuvered her way through enemy territory halting at every stir of wind. She made sure to stay downwind at all times so it would be harder for them to smell her on their land. 

The territory's tall trees gave her protection from the deadly hawks that circled the skies, but they also blocked out the sun which made the she-cat feel weary. She stopped to rest when she came across a large puddle surrounded by overgrown brambles. The she-cat squeezed carefully into the bush and once inside, took a few sips of water.

Suddenly, the unmistakable scent of nearby HazeClan cats wafted over her and she froze. The sound of pawsteps trotting in the soft earth came to her ears and with them came hushed voices. Briarstar angled her ears to distinguish the voices but she stayed in place, inside the brambles.

“Fallenleaf, do you even know where you’re going?” Hissed out an agitated sounding she-cat. “We’ve been walking forever in this forest and there’s no sign of Parsley anywhere.”

Briarstar tensed as she recognized the voice of Spiderclaw, HazeClan’s medicine cat. Spiderclaw had trained most of her apprenticeship to be a warrior but became a medicine cat after StarClan sent her an omen. The she-cat was fiercely loyal to her Clan and still could fight like any warrior if needed. Her ill-tempered nature also gave no cat with a brain to question her word unless they wanted to get their pelt shredded.

“Patience for once, Spiderclaw!” Hissed the other cat. “I’ve walked this forest moons before you were kitted. You have no reason to question my direction!”

The distinctive voice made Briarstar shudder internally. The voice belonged to that of Fallenleaf, a HazeClan warrior. He was one of the most powerful cats in all the Clans with his brute strength and intelligence on seemingly everything that went down in the forest and underground as well.

HazeClan cats were burrowers, meaning they mostly navigated their way through life underground and thrived in tight spaces and low lighting. Their camp was even hidden from plain sight, only a cat sized hole in the ground gave indications of something living there which was fantastic for protection. 

Briarstar believed that Fallenleaf was the main cause of the ongoing feud between HazeClan and MoonClan. He was outraged at the fact that Crowstar and Hollystar had both invited kittypets into MoonClan, seasons prior, one of them being Briarstar herself, and demanded that they be exiled immediately. When he realized that they weren’t going anywhere, he became even more outraged.

Webstar, HazeClan’s cruel and hardy leader kept him in his place for a while, often talking him down at gatherings before quarrels broke out between the Clans, but all his empathy was lost when Briarstar became deputy and even began to show just as much hatred as his clanmate.

Fallenleaf continued to speak his disdain of MoonClan, Briarstar in particular, at every gathering and swore to StarClan that someday, he would make the Forest great again by ridding it of kittypets.

Briarstar had luckily stayed clear from his path as the growing tension between both Clan finally broke and a battle erupted, one moon prior. HazeClan had invaded Moonclan‘s camp, and several cats including Cloudfoot weren’t so lucky. 

She vividly remembered climbing up to safety in a tree and watched as her mate was chased off a ledge by HazeClan warriors, Fallenleaf among them. They sent the tom tumbling down the raven with a shrieking cry of death. Briarstar had yowled out a warning he couldn’t hear her over the sounds of other fighting cats and sat in shock as her mate fell to his death.

Briarstar shook her head at the memory and crawled over to where she had entered the brambles. She squeezed her head out to look around. Fallenleaf’s large golden and tabby body was a few pawsteps ahead of Spiderclaw’s slender black form as they rounded the bramble bush.

“The parsley is not to far from here, I can sense a patch.” The tom stopped short to lift his head and sniff the air. “ Come on, it’s this way.”

Fear of being caught took over her but as Briarstar scrambled to get back inside the bush, she let out a hiss. Her paw got caught in one of the thorns that rooted around the bush. This didn’t go unnoticed by the HazeClan cats and they both growled out loud.

“Whoever is there, come forth!” Spiderclaw ordered with a hiss.

The tortoiseshell she-cat gulped and crawled out of the bush, careful not to step on anymore thorns and shook out her prickled fur. She then turned and met the HazeClan cats’ furious gazes.

“My, my look what we have here.” Fallenleaf growled, circling her with unsheathed claws.  
“A trespasser, so far away from her twoleg’s home.” The tom chuckled to himself, his green eyes burning with hatred.

Spiderclaw nodded and let out another hiss. “It’s seems like MoonClan is looking to lose one of their worthless kittypets.”

Briarstar put on a brave face in front of her mate’s killers and puffed out her chest. “I am not here to cause trouble between HazeClan and MoonClan. We have settled ourselves in our last dispute, have we not?” 

She didn’t let them respond before quickly adding, “I am only just returning from StoneFalls as I have received my nine lives from StarClan.”

Spiderclaw let out her own snicker. “MoonClan has stooped to its lowest if they’d let this foolish kittypet lead.” She glanced at the golden tom for back up.

Briarstar tensed at her teasing but Fallenleaf silenced the medicine cat with the whip of his tail across her muzzle. “That just confirms my suspicions that Hollystar has died.” He spoke aloud to himself.

“Another weak leader gone, what a shame.” He continued with fake sympathy in his voice, glancing at the sky. “The kittypet lover will be surely missed.”

Briarstar hissed at him and arched her back. “Don’t you dare insult Hollystar! She deserves respect from all the Clans for her leadership especially for allowing new warriors to join MoonClan. It has only made us stronger.”

Fallenleaf snorted and he glared back at her. “That still doesn’t give you the right to stomp your pretty, kitty paws through our territory. You’ve broken the warrior code kittypet, don’t you know? Or do I have to show you myself?”

The tortoiseshell’s neck fur ruffled up in defense as he went to raise one of large paws, but before she could say anything, Spiderclaw jumped in front of her, teeth bared in a snarl.

“Let’s just kill her now and get it over with! I don’t believe StarClan would grant this kittypet filth nine lives.”

Briarstar couldn't help but to let out her own snarl. “I’d like to see you try, spidey!”

The black medicine cat snapped and lunged on top of her with long, outstretched claws. Briarstar yowled as she dug into her shoulders and fell back. The two she-cats clawed wildly at each other for a few moments, yowling and stirring up dust. 

They both were leaving expert blows on each other before Briarstar twisted and used her strong hind legs to kick the darker she-cat off. Spiderclaw yowled in surprise and landed with a thump a few mouse-lengths away, into another bush.

Flipping around, Briarstar was met with one of Fallenleaf’s massive paws, slapping her back to the ground. She yowled out in pain and swiped out blindly at her opponent, her head spinning from his harsh blow. The golden tom didn’t seem fazed by her brazen attempts at attacking him as he mounted her and held her down. 

Briarstar paused, taking a gulp of air, and met his murderous gaze. Fallenleaf chuckled lowly as he leaned down to her ear. 

“Now listen here you raggedy old pet, no one steps through my territory without Webstar’s order so it’s my duty as a loyal HazeClan warrior to protect my Clan from your disgrace.” He stated, trying to rationalize his actions in a condescending way. “But don’t worry, I’ll try to make this as painful as possible.” He teased, lowering his fangs to her exposed throat.

Briarstar, her energy drained from fighting, braced herself for the sharp pain that was to come and shut her eyes tightly.

The pain never came.

Fallenleaf’s weight suddenly tensed and then slumped off to the side of her with a groan. Briarstar snapped her eyes open and looked around. She spotted a blur of light brown fur heading towards her and let out a surprised mew.

“Cinderfoot!” She recognized with joy.

The MoonClan medicine cat came bounding up to her from a few fox-lengths away, carrying a hollowed stick in her mouth. She slowed to a stop in front of Briarstar and spat out the stick. Briarstar noticed that light brown she-cat also had woven herself a herb basket that dangled across her back and she rolled over and stood shakily to her paws to greet her.

“I heard you yowling from a distance.” She explained, catching her breath. “So I grabbed this Shooting Stick from a tree and found a Snake’s rock that was piled on a mound and came rushing to you.”

Snake’s Rock was a small stone that a snake would spit its venom on. Snake’s rock was used with in combination with the Shooting Stick to target enemies that were far away. The cat holding it would carefully insert the rock into the stick and blow it out at their desired target. 

The tool was very effective only if used correctly but could easily injure the cat using it as well. Luckily, Cinderfoot was skilled in using this technique and protected many of her battling Clanmates before. Briarstar thanked her with a swift lick across her cheek before glancing at Fallenleaf. He was letting out small pain-filled mewls and twitching on the ground. 

His old body began to convulse and vile pushed its way from his stomach out his mouth. Briarstar’s mouth gaped open in a silent gasp at his reaction to the poison and when Cinderfoot noticed this, she shook her head. 

“He’ll be fine.” She assured, dismissively. “He’s just in shock from the venom but I didn’t give him enough to kill.”

Both she-cats turned their heads at hearing a distressed gasp. Spiderclaw emerged from the shadows, limping, horror stricken over her face. She went straight to the twitching, golden tom and began licking at the small wounds Briarstar gave him. 

Heartbeats later, the black she-cat rounded on the MoonClan cats, fire blazing in her eyes.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?” She yowled, facing the other medicine cat.

Cinderfoot dipped her head and backed away from the feisty medicine cat. “Don’t fret Spiderclaw.” She began, as if she were soothing a frightened kit. “I shot him with Snake’s Rock but as you should know, the venom isn’t very deadly. He’ll be down for at least a day or so. I advise that take him back to your camp, make sure he rests, and gets plenty of water.”

Unfazed by her gentle words, Spiderclaw spat in her face. “Why should I trust you?” She asked with the lash of her tail. “HazeClan doesn’t need help from MoonClan or their lousy medicine cat!”

Cinderfoot narrowed her eyes and Briarstar kneaded her paws, preparing for another outburst of claws. “Listen, if you don’t want your strongest warrior dead, I suggest you take him back to your camp!” The speckled medicine cat said, biting her words out. 

“Get someone to help you if you can’t drag him yourself. Tell them that he stepped on some Snake’s Rock accidently. I know how good you are at lying so this wouldn’t be an issue would it?”

The black medicine cat looked as if she was going to spit out another retort but Fallenleaf let out a groan from across from them. She threw one more harsh glare at the MoonClan cats before she begrudgingly obeyed and ran off to presumingly get help. Cinderfoot sighed and turned to Briarstar.

“Now let’s go home.”

...  
The trees thinned out until there were almost none as the two she-cats reached the border of HazeClan into MoonClan. The border was marked by a stream that had jagged stones protruding from the water’s surface. The cats used those for crossing and usually avoided the cold water of the dark stream.

MoonClan cats in particular were used the rough feeling of stone under their paws so it was not a problem crossing for these two she-cats.

Briarstar crossed over first because the medicine cat had her herbs to worry about. Her paws landed hard on the mossy shore of the stream, back in MoonClan territory. She wrinkled her nose and grimaced at the feeling of the muddy ground and quickly pounced her way to higher and drier ground. 

The ledges and rocks that poked out the craggy ridge were smoothed from seasons of cats climbing on them, so it was an easy climb for the she-cat. The stone felt cool on her paw pads as she kept climbing up, her tail angled out behind her to keep balance. 

Briarstar then turned to see if Cinderfoot was keeping up but while doing so, she didn’t notice that someone had ambushed her.

In a flash, another cat jumped on her, pushing her over. The tortoiseshell screamed out, tumbling off the ledge she was on, landing on her back in the squishy moss, her ambusher landing heavily on top of her.

The cat who landed on her, laughed loudly, their whiskers brushing with Briarstar’s. Once her vision focused, Briarstar recognized a black and white tom, who happened to be a warrior from her Clan.

“Rowanheart, you mousebrain!” She exclaimed, quickly shoving the tom off. “If we would’ve been any higher, we could’ve easily gotten hurt! You of all cats should know that, being a Senior warrior that is.” She then proceeded to rapidly groom the wet moss off her fur.

Rowanheart purred at her agitation and touched the tip of his tail on her shoulder. “Sorry Briarstorm, I couldn’t resist.” He apologized, still grinning. “You are just so fun to scare. It reminds me of when we were kits, remember?” 

Briarstar shook her head and playfully cuffed his ear. “You frivolous toms never mature.” She sighed, shaking her head. “And my name’s Briarstar now and I expect you to treat your new leader with some respect.” She swished her fluffy tail out across her paws dramatically.

Rowanheart’s whiskers twitched in amusement and just as he was about to retort, Cinderfoot’s meow rang from above them. They both glanced up to see that the speckled medicine cat had scaled the ridge and was staring at them with mocked irritation spread across her face.

“I would love to let you two stay here and bicker into the night, but someone has a Clan to address.” She informed, playfully narrowing her eyes at the tortoiseshell she-cat.

Briarstar ducked in embarassment and looked to Rowanheart. The black and white tom smirked playfully and crouched down, preparing to pounce up onto a ledge. Once he had landed, she bunched her muscles and sprang after him. 

The pair expertly climbed their way up to Cinderfoot and once there, all three cats traveled back to the MoonClan camp.

...  
As soon as she skirted down the pebble covered hill into the camp’s clearing, Briarstar was swarmed by her clanmates, young and old, pelts of different colors, all asking about her journey to StoneFalls. 

Flustered, the she-cat smiled politely and tried to step around her inquisitive clanmates. Thankfully, Rowanheart pushed his way in front of her and acting as a guard, led her to HighStone. 

HighStone was a mound of large, smooth stones that stacked in the center of the camp clearing. The MoonClan leader usually addressed the Clan from there along with their deputy and sometimes the medicine cat. 

Briarstar leapt up to the top of the stones and sat down, slightly nervous to gather the Clan without Hollystar beside her. She tried kneading her nerves out with her claws on the rocks and took a slow breath. Briarstar saw that the MoonClan cats had clustered at the bottom of the rock and were all awaiting her to speak.

“All MoonClan cats gather under HighStone for a Clan meeting!” The new leader recited as well as her leader would have said. 

Briarstar glanced around and saw everyone was already present and blushed. She gave her chest a few licks of embarrassment before beginning her speech. “As you all can see, I’ve made it back to MoonClan safely with Cinderfoot. I have received my nine lives from StarClan and my new name, Briarstar.”

The MoonClan cats chanted excitedly her name a few times and she flushed with praise. The leader silenced them with the raise of her tail moments later. “Thank you all. I will try my best to serve MoonClan for many seasons as Hollystar had to you. With that being said, I now have the responsibility to choose a deputy to succeed me.”

Briarstar glanced around, scanning the clearing for the cat she had had in mind. She had made this decision when Hollystar had given her advice in choosing a shapeable leader. 

It was before the battle with HazeClan when the leader and deputy had important the conversation. Hollystar had taken her inside her den and sat her down one morning. With a serious gaze, the older she-cat had asked, “What is your plan for when I die?” 

While Briarstar, Briarstorm then was put back by her blunt question, she answered confidently. “I will serve as leader and have a strong deputy by my side. Is this a trick question?”

Hollystar waved her tail dismissively. “Who will be your deputy?”

Without hesitation, the tortoiseshell replied with “Rowanheart as he’s my most loyal friend.”

Hollystar had laughed at that. “Of course you would want Rowanheart as your deputy. But you should realize that having someone close to you as your second in command can be disastrous if not done properly.”

Briarstar had tilted her head in confusion but let the leader continue. “What you really need is someone who will challenge your opinion but never without some level of respect to you as well as someone who is loyal. Rowanheart will undoubtedly listen and do whatever you tell him to do without question but it it right to send a bird flying without any wings of his own?”

The old leader was speaking the truth which left Briarstar’s brain rapidly trying to come up with back up warriors to be her deputy. She didn’t want to be completely upstaged by her leader and wanted, even after seasons of serving as deputy, to prove herself to her. “How about Hawkpelt?”

“Same as Rowanheart, he will follow you off a cliff.”

“Echospirit?”

“She’s pregnant Briarstorm, come on.”

“Swiftclaw?” 

“Now he’s a great warrior but he won’t be a good deputy or leader.” Hollystar said, staring up at the ceiling of her den as if she was imagining the warrior as leader before shuddering. “He’s Fallenleaf but with a better heart.”

At that point, Briarstar was feeling annoyed. She took a moment to think to herself about any other warrior that would fill the position of deputy but before she could offer up another name, Hollystar coughed.

“Would you like my opinion?” She asked, a hint of humor in her voice from seemingly watching Briarstar overthink.

At the time, the deputy stubbornly shook her head and left the den to continue to ponder her thoughts. Throughout that day, after following a routine of assigning patrols, being reported back to, and napping with Cloudfoot, she thought about who would be impressional enough to challenge her as a leader and remain loyal to her.

Evening came and as she sat among her chatting clanmates to eat, she caught Hollystar’s knowing gaze from across the clearing and inwardly groaned. ‘Why would she give me this much anxiety over choosing a deputy?’ She wondered internally, taking a tough bite out of what she thought was her prey but jumped back when she heard a yowl.

Turns out, the tortoiseshell she-cat had bitten her mate’s tail and he sat up and glared at her with his blue eyes. “What in StarClan is wrong with you today?” He demanded, causing her ears to flatten. Cloudfoot was never rude or irritable to her so she must have really pushed him that day.

“First you were acting strange while hunting, then you couldn’t concentrate when our son was telling you about his patrol, and now you’re biting me for no reason!”

Briarstar sighed and told him what Hollystar had said. When she was done, she saw that he gaze had softened and he brushed his muzzle across hers. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.” The white tom said, keeping his muzzle resting on hers. “I can sympathize with you over your stress but what I think will help you is just going to her and listening to what she has to say. She’s your leader and is only trying to help you succeed.”

Cloudfoot was always right. Briarstar licked his cheek and left him to finally confront her leader.  
Briarstar took every word of advice she could from the wise leader and even her recommendation of a deputy that evening. 

She just hoped that the Clan would approve of her choice as she was brought back to the present. 

“Duskcloud, come forth.” She ordered, her eyes settling on a large black tom with striking yellow eyes.

Obediently, the black tom known as Duskcloud stepped from the crowd and nervously made his way over to HighStone. The leader hopped down from her perch and stood tall in front of him. He dipped his head in her presence and Briarstar could sense apprehension rolling off him in waves.

“I say these words before StarClan and hope that they approve of my choice. Duskcloud, you are one of the most hard-working, loyal warriors in MoonClan. You may not be the most popular among the Clan but I think that you should be finally be recognized and rewarded with the honorary duty of becoming MoonClan’s deputy.”

The leader rested her muzzle on the tom’s shoulder. In response, he timidly licked her ear. The MoonClan cats were quiet, in shock from her choice in deputy for a few heartbeats before one cat started up the chanting. Everyone then began to chant Duskcloud’s name and the tom seemed warm with embarrassment. 

“He’s not used to all this attention.” Briarstar noticed affectionately.

It was known to her that he was not well recognized as a warrior in MoonClan as he didn’t say much, but he did perform all duties ordered to him with pride. Many other cats didn’t even acknowledge him with anymore than a brisk nod or a tail flick so this all would be a huge turning point for the black tom when he would now be giving the orders.

Briarstar turned back to her Clan and yowled in conclusion,“You are all dismissed.” 

She then tore away from Duskcloud as he was surrounded by his congratulating clanmates and ducked inside her new cave, under HighStone. Past MoonClan cats said that all the caves in their camp were mostly formed from large stones, high in the mountains as there was once an ancient lake that ran there and dried up during a dry season, moons before cats had even discovered the place.

The cave under HighStone was the largest and was always where the leader and their mate slept. A large nest made of pine needles and feathers lie in a dip in the center of the cave. With no mate, the nest seemed too big and luxurious for the she-cat as she sniffed around. She the faint scent of Hollystar’s warm fur before settling down in the middle.

A few moments later, Duskcloud’s scent wafted into the cave and caught her attention. Briarstar meowed for him to enter and she heard tom pad in, his body disappearing with the darkness of the cave. She could only really make out his head and musky scent. The tom bowed his head to her in greeting to her as she sat up in her nest.

“Yes?” She inquired, wrapping her fluffy tail around herself.

Duskcloud sighed, shifting on his paws. “Sorry to bother you Briarstar, but I just had one question.” 

The she-cat nodded for him to continue.

“I was just wondering why you chose me to succeed you? I’m not meant to be a leader, nevertheless a deputy. There are many other cats that would be better for this position, just not me.”

Briarstar tilted her head in confusion. “Why in StarClan would you think that?” She demanded with the flick of her tail behind her. But before he could respond, the MoonClan leader went on.“You are a dedicated warrior to MoonClan and will give your life for your Clan.” 

Duskcloud opened his mouth to interject but the leader kept talking.“You’re committed to any duty you are assigned to and have been a great mentor to your apprentices.” She rambled. 

“Not to mention, your advanced knowledge on the mountains gave us an advance during the battle between HazeClan. There are countless reasons why I chose you, Duskcloud.” 

Duskcloud seemed to be embarrassed by her praise and flattened his ears to his head. “Thanks, Briarstar I had no idea that you, of all cats, thought of me so highly.”

She brushed the tip of her tail briefly on his shoulder. “Don’t doubt yourself Duskcloud. I’ll help you be the best deputy you can be. And remember, even if you do fall, you are still moving forward.”

The black tom purred at her kind words and nodded to his new leader. “Before I go, I understand that you are tired from your trip from StoneFalls so would you like if I tried to organize patrols for the evening?”

Briarstar sighed in relief as she didn’t even think of the patrols that needed to be set for the night. Her own exhaustion from the long trip was getting to her head. “Yes please, and if you need help, ask Rowanheart. You know he's an experienced, senior warrior.”

Duskcloud nodded and turned to pad out of the cave, his claws clicking on the stone floor.   
Briarstar circled her nest and then curled up into a ball. But before sleep came completely over her, she was disrupted by the scent of fresh kill nearby. She, sleepily, blinked her eyes open again. 

Rowanheart stood at the mouth of the cave, a rat dangling in his jaws. His black and white body was illuminated by the early moonlight outside. Briarstar’s mouth watered as she sat up. 

“Come in.” She called, eagerly.

Rowanheart entered with the freshkill and dropped it at her paws. “Here, eat.” He ordered, nodding towards the rat.“You’ve had a long day.” 

Briarstar smiled gratefully at him and tore into the rat. She hadn’t had a decent meal since the day of the battle and was basically starving. 

Rowanheart purred and licked between her ears as she finished her meal. She sat and enjoyed the grooming for a while before speaking up. “Did you help Duskcloud with the patrols?” She asked quietly. 

The black and white tom looked at her thoughtfully. “Of course I did!” He exclaimed as if it were obvious. “He couldn’t decide on two simple patrols by himself so I stepped up. What a deputy he’ll be, am I right?”

Briarstar was hardly listening to her friend as he ragged on her new deputy as she was falling asleep, the exhaustion from traveling to and from StoneFalls coming over her. She yawned and dismissed the black and white tom with the gentle nudge of her tail. 

She blinked her eyes closed as Rowanheart’s retreating pawsteps grew quieter until it was only her in the cave. The tortoiseshell kneaded her paws into her soft nest and slowly fell asleep to the sounds of her Clan rustling into the night.


	4. Chapter 3

The new leader of MoonClan stepped out into the clearing the next morning feeling energized. Briarstar had a great sleep and was now ready to start her first day as Clan leader. She shook out her tortoiseshell fur in the sunlight and then glanced around camp. A few cats were already milling around the clearing, some sleepily grabbing their morning meals from the fresh kill pile, others lounging about in the patches of sunlight that peaked through the trees. Leaf-Fall was in its last week, meaning that the mornings would be becoming a lot colder soon. Briarstar knew that the Clan cats were taking advantage of the warmth before the bitter cold came and took over.

Briarstar skipped the lounging for now and made her way over to the fresh kill pile to get a meal for herself. A brown and white tabby tom and a seal pointed she-cat were there, talking to each other when she approached. They immediately dipped their heads in respect to the leader.

“Hawkpelt.” She greeted, rubbing her muzzle on the tom’s head. “Petalpool.” She licked the seal- pointed she-cat’s ear.

“Good morning Mother!” Hawkpelt mewed cheerfully with the happy wave of his tail. 

Petalpool just nodded to the leader as a greeting, taking another bite out of a half eaten mouse. Briarstar narrowed her eyes at the she-cat’s lack of greeting but didn’t confront her. She grabbed a shrew from the fresh kill pile and began munching on it while the other two cats sat in silence, finishing their meals. The leader spoke up when she had finished her shrew.

Briarstar licked her lips, wiping the blood away. “So Hawkpelt, how is Lionpaw’s training progressing?”

The tabby tom huffed and glanced away, tail twitching in annoyance. “To be completely honest, Lionpaw’s training is going nowhere.” He retorted with a deep sigh.

“He is an incredibly stubborn and impatient tom. He always chases prey too soon and when I try to correct him, he pretends not to hear me. I’ve had to stop him from almost falling off a ledge a few times, even though he knows our territory just as well as any MoonClan cat.” 

The tabby glared at his paws. “Lionpaw also takes his sparring too seriously with Toadpaw. He’s almost hurt him a few times because he refuses to sheath his claws when training.” 

Hawkpelt paused his rant to groan out in frustration and then shook his head. “Hollystar only gave him to me because I’m his father and you know that. He thinks he can get away with anything because of it.”

Petalpool glanced up from her meal and frowned. “Lionpaw sounds like he’s turning rouge.” The seal pointed she-cat shifted her paws on the ground uncomfortably. “You may want to keep a close eye on him just to make sure he’s loyal to MoonClan.”

The tabby tom shrugged at her and Briarstar shook her head dismissively. “No no, that’s preposterous.” The leader hissed at the other she-cat. “Lionpaw would never betray his Clan. He’s too young to have reason to.” 

She turned to her son with a reassuring smile. 

“I’m sure it’s just the excitement getting to him. He was only just apprenticed a little over two moons ago so his behavior must be over enthusiasm. Just be a little more patient with him and eventually he’ll calm down and listen. Lionpaw will be a fine warrior in time, especially with you mentoring him.”

Hawkpelt nodded slowly and then with more earnest once he was convinced by her words. He stood up and licked between his mother’s ears. “Thank you for the advice, Briarstar. I’ll take him out for battle training when he wakes up.”

With that, the tabby tom bounded away, leaving the leader with Petalpool. The other she-cat was idly grooming herself when Briarstar cleared her throat to catch her attention.

“How could you say such a disrespectful thing about Lionpaw?” She demanded, sounding hurt. “He’s just an inexperienced, young tom, not some, some -” 

The leader struggled for a moment to find the right word. “Delinquent.” She had decided.

The seal pointed she-cat stood to her paws and flattened her ears to her head. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Briarstar.” She began quietly. “But I’ve seen cats go rogue in this Clan many times, including my own parents. I was just being a little cautious is all because Lionpaw sounds as if he were showing the signs of-” 

“Silence, Petalpool!” Briarstar interrupted with a growl. “Your parents and Lionpaw are two different situations. Why do you think you can compare them?” 

Before Petalpool could interject, the leader continued. “You know very well that they only joined MoonClan to raise you here in a stable place.” She pointed out harshly. 

“They enjoyed the filthy rogue life much more than Clan life. They left when you were old enough to fend for yourself to head back to that horrendous life. Lionpaw obviously supersedes them and would never make the mistake of choosing a life that relies on such connivery and disgust to live.” 

The seal-pointed she-cat hissed at the leader’s insults to her parents and drew back her lips to retort. “Don’t you dare say such cruel things about my parents to my face!” She hissed. “You know very well that they left because Hollystar basically forced them out because sickness was spreading and MoonClan was low on prey to provide for-” 

“That's enough Petalpool!” She cut the she-cat off again. “You should find something useful to do before I call for patrols.” The leader felt defensive to her past leader and wouldn’t stand for any cat mouthing bad about her decisions. 

The seal-pointed she-cat gaped her mouth open as if she had something else to say but Briarstar rose her voice. “Don’t give me a reason to suspend you from your warrior duties, Petalpool. Now go!” Petalpool glared at the leader but didn’t argue with her order and padded over to the warriors cave. 

Briarstar sighed and stood up. She felt agitated by the other she-cat’s words and the fur on her neck wouldn’t lie back. A small feeling of guilt briefly came over her before she shook it off and stubbornly turning away from her. In reality, she knew that this generation of Clan cats, MoonClan in particular, often turned rogue usually after realizing that the Mountains was too tough of a place to live in. Many of the cats went to join StarClan early because of the harsh environment of MoonClan but Briarstar didn’t want to hear the truth. She knew her loyal warriors will remain strong and agile like they’ve always been and would drive out anyone who showed their tail.

‘I’m not going to make the same mistake I did with Adderkit with Lionpaw. He’ll learn the rules even if they have to be drilled in his head.’ She thought, stubbornly. 

Briarstar decided to give Cinderfoot a visit to get the dispute off her mind. She was steadily making her way towards the medicine cat’s cave when she halted in alarm at the scene before her. Two cats, a small sandy brown she-cat and a dark brown tom were exiting Cinderfoot’s cave, the she-cat letting out strangled coughs. The tom had his black tipped tail wrapped around her torso, steadying her steps as they slowly approached the center of camp. The leader immediately rushed over to confront them.

“Reedtail, what is going on here?” The tortoiseshell she-cat demanded, meeting them halfway.

The tom solemnly glanced at the she-cat coughing beside him and sighed. “Echospirit had made Leaffur go to Cinderfoot today about her small cough.” He began. “She had caught it a while ago but we thought nothing of it then so we never sought help. We know that was foolish of us because now Cinderfoot thinks it's a rare form of Greencough.”

Briarstar gasped at his statement and glanced at Leaffur. The light brown she-cat, her small body, round with kits had green snot bubbling out her nose and as she coughed, more green fluids came with it. 

“How will this affect your kits?” 

Reedtail let his head droop and sighed. “We don’t know.” He said, dejectedly. 

“She gave her Coltsfoot for her cough and told her to rest for now but she doesn’t know how far it will spread in her body or to our kits.”

Leaffur was wheezing at this point, tears leaking from her once sparkling blue eyes. Briarstar looked desperately between the two cats, trying to think of the best way to deal with the situation while the reddish-brown tom licked his mate’s ear, trying to soothe her pain.

“Reedtail, you should go and fetch her some water from the stream.” Briarstar decided. “Her throat must be dry from all the coughing she’s doing. I’ll bring her to the queen's cave and tell the others to be watchful of her until this passes.”

The senior warrior nodded and dashed up and out of camp. Leaffur had a small look of gratitude on her face before she began coughing, wretchedly again. Briarstar copied what her mate did and wrapped her tail around Leaffur’s torso, guiding her to the queen's cave.

…  
The smell of milk and pine needles flowed the tortoiseshell’s nose as she and Leaffur stepped inside the queen's cave. The cave was warm inside and the usual hard stone floor was covered in several layers of pine needles, feathers, and moss. All of the queens got the best bedding because they produced the most important thing to a Clan: Kits.

Two she-cats were lying inside, one gray with light spots dotted across her pelt and the other was a bluish gray colored she-cat. The kits were scattered around their nests, playing while their mothers watched with amusement in their eyes. The two queens became more alert as Briarstar entered the cave and both sat up to greet her. The MoonClan leader led Leaffur to a nest that wasn’t occupied by kits and the sick she-cat settled down fairly quick, tucking her snotty nose under her front paws. 

The blue-gray queen caught the leader’s attention once Leaffur had fallen asleep, and waved her over with her tail. “What did Cinderfoot say?” She whispered, careful not to disturb the sick she-cat. 

“Well Echospirit,” Briarstar began with a heavy sigh, sitting in front of the queens. “Cinderfoot says she has some form of Greencough.”

Both queens gasped and glanced at the sleeping she-cat warily. The spotted queen wrapped her tail around her wrestling kits as if to protect them and glared at the leader. 

“Shouldn’t she be staying with Cinderfoot then?” She questioned with a slight hiss. “What if she gets us or our kits sick? We shouldn’t risk that, Briarstar, especially with Leaf-Bare so near.”

Echospirit touched her tail tip to her back before Briarstar could reply. “Rainwhisker, calm yourself.” She whispered. “If Cinderfoot sent her back here, then she should be fine around us. She has enough experience as a medicine cat to know this. She’s dealt with Greencough before, remember.”

Briarstar nodded, agreeing with the queen. Cinderfoot had dealt with an outbreak of Greencough a season before, during the last Leaf-Bare and MoonClan had lost a few older warriors but no apprentices or kits. Rainwhisker, not fully convinced, huffed and curled back around herself, her kits continuing to wrestle around her. The leader then felt something grab her tail and rounded on them. A white kit with cream patches stood there, the tip of the tortoiseshell’s tail in his paws. His blue eyes widened with excitement as he let go of her tail. “Wanna play chase with me and Volekit?” He asked, pointing at a gray kit with brown paws.

Rainwhisker sat back up and shook her head, sighing ‘Kits’ under her breath before herding her’s back to the nest. “Now kits, Briarstar has a lot of other things to do than just play around all day, you know this.” She scolded. “You should rest some more like your sister until we're all ready to get up.” 

She directed the leader’s attention to a small gray kit nestled close to the spotted she-cat’s belly. The two tom-kits shook their heads and began wrestling with each other again while Rainwhisker rolled her eyes. Briarstar chuckled at the kits, reflecting on her own tiring experience of being a queen before remarking to their mother that they would be fierce warriors one day. She then turned back to Echospirit after hearing an abrupt cough.

The blueish-gray she-cat was sat up in her nest, watching as her kits tumbled around on the soft ground at the opposite side of the cave. The larger of the two, a gray tom with a white belly had his sister, a mostly gray she-cat with white paws, pinned easily. 

“Come on Sagekit, actually try to throw me off.” Taunted the tom as his sister squirmed from under him. “Pretend I’m a HazeClan cat and I’m going to invade the camp!” He then proceeded to mock growl in her face.

Sagekit hissed playfully and tripped her brother with her tail causing him to fall on his side with a huff. “Take that Finckkit!”

“They turn six moons soon.” Echospirit whispered to the leader as the kits continued to scuffle across from them. “I don’t know if you noticed but Sagekit has been trailing behind Cinderfoot for a moon. I think she wants to be a medicine cat so I hope you keep that in mind when choosing their mentors.”

Briarstar beamed, relieved to know that Cinderfoot would hopefully be getting an apprentice soon, and stood up. “I will see to it in the next few sunrises.” 

With that, she bid the queens goodbye and stepped back into the clearing. More warriors had came out of their cave and were all laying around, waiting for their duties to be assigned to them for the day. The leader spotted Duskcloud’s black pelt from the cluster of cats. She watched him as he finished off a mouse and when the two cats made eye contact, the black tom stood and padded up to her.

“Good morning Briarstar, have a good sleep?” The deputy greeted, his tail flicking side to side in an eager manner.

Briarstar nodded and sighed. “Yes I did, but it’s been a hectic morning so far for me.”

The tom looked concerned but Briarstar cut in before he could speak. “Nevermind that. Would you like to help choose patrols for the day?”

“I’ll try my best.” The black tom agreed unconfidently.

With a brisk nod, Briarstar set off in the direction of HighStone and climbed the rock, Duskcloud at her tail. The warriors that were already in the clearing glanced up from their various activities and drew their attention to the leader and deputy settling on the HighStone.“All warriors and apprentices, gather in the clearing to be assigned patrols for the morning!” Briarstar announced, loudly.

The remaining cats came out of their respective caves while others stood and gathered around the HighStone. Once everyone was present, Briarstar held her tail up to speak. “For the dawn border patrol, I would like Feathertail leading.”

The leader spotted said cat, a fluffy orange tabby tom. He paused from eating his meal and glanced at her for further instructions.“Take Cedarlight, Bramblefall, and Petalpool with you.” She continued, having his attention.

“You should mark your way around the HazeClan border and almost to GorgeClan’s. And remember to be careful around GorgeClan’s border. I don’t want another warrior coming back injured from slipping on stones, understood?” 

Feathertail nodded briskly and said cats on his patrol began to gather around the camp’s entrance. The orange warrior then nodded at his patrol and marched out of camp. Petalpool’s fur was bristling and her blue eyes were cold when she made eye contact with the leader and then turned to swiftly dive out of camp. Briarstar scoffed silently to herself at the other she-cat’s actions then turned to Duskcloud who was staring at his paws. She signaled for him to speak up with the sharp flick of her tail. The black tom looked uncertain as his gaze met the Clans’.

“Uhm,” He began hesitantly. “For the first hunting patrol, um, I would like to lead.” He glanced at Briarstar silently asking for approval. When she nodded, he went on. “I would like Speckfoot, Clovertail, and Flamepaw to accompany me.” 

Said chosen cats separated from the crowd and grouped near HighStone, awaiting Duskcloud to lead them. The deputy gave one last nervous look at the leader before departing with his patrol. Briarstar curled her tail around her front paws. “That is all for now.” She concluded, lying down on the rock.The remaining warriors and apprentices dispersed around the clearing and the leader placed her head on her paws. She figured she deserved a quick nap before getting up to see CInderfoot so she began to doze, the early sunlight warming her fur.

...  
Something sharp prodded her in the side what seemed like a moment later. The she-cat abruptly awoke from her dreamless nap and glared at whoever woke her. Briarstar sighed, realizing who it was immediately and lashed her tail in annoyance. 

“What is it Rowanheart?” She exhaled, once her fur lay flat again.

The black and white tom smiled playfully at her. “What are you doing up here, sleepyhead?” He retorted with the tilt of his head. “It’s Sunhigh, you doof. Time to get up.” 

Briarstar groaned and shook her head at him. The two have been close friends ever since the tortoiseshell was brought to MoonClan by Sadie. She was a tiny kit then and Rowanheart hadn’t changed much other than size of course. Rowanheart liked to pick at her but not to the point where she would hate him, but to them usually ending up wrestling around in the queen's cave while their mothers watched in amusement. His playful attitude hasn't changed over the seasons but it didn’t deter him from being a formidable warrior to his Clan, which Briarstar admired most of the time.

“Did you just come up here to bother me or did you have something important to say?” The leader snapped, impatiently lashing her tail.

Rowanheart flattened his ears, realizing that his friend wasn’t in the mood for his usual teasing and stood up straight. “Cinderfoot sent me to fetch you.” He told her, his voice lowering. “She said it’s urgent.”

Without wasting anymore time, the leader sprang to her paws and leapt off of HighStone. She heard Rowanheart scramble after her as she ran across camp to the medicine cat cave. Part of the cave laid under some overgrown brambles that grew into the clearing. Those brambles and some vines were weaved together to make an almost waterproof roof. Fallen rocks piled high and formed the outer walls while the rest of the cave was carved inside the camp’s wall like the rest of the caves in the MoonClan camp. A thin layer of vine leaves covered the cave’s entrance in a screen-like way. Briarstar pushed her way through the screen and almost bumped into the medicine cat upon arrival. Cinderfoot turned to her, her eyes dark with worry, and put down the herbs she was sorting.

“Leaffur has severe Greencough.” She meowed gravely. “I don’t have many fresh herbs for Greencough but I’m scrambling up what I can find right now. I may have to go out again near HazeClan.”

Briarstar dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I spoke to Reedtail earlier and sent him to fetch her some water. She was coughing up a storm.”

The medicine cat nodded and picked up one of her scattered herb bundles. She sniffed briefly at it and then passed it to Rowanheart who was standing at the mouth of the cave. “Go and make sure Leaffur eats this.” She ordered the tom. “And tell the queens to keep their kits away from her!”

Rowanheart nodded and dashed out the cave, the bundle firmly in his jaws. The medicine cat then turned back to Briarstar. “Now that he’s gone, I can tell you what I really called you for.” She meowed, beginning to pad further into the cave.

Briarstar followed her, keeping her ears angled at what she had to say. Cinderfoot had stopped walking once they reached the end of the cave. The area was narrow, dark, and the ground was covered in thick feathers and moss. This was where Cinderfoot slept.

The medicine cat sat in her nest and sighed. “StarClan sent me a message in my dreams last night.” She said, kneading the ground anxiously.

The leader, now concerned, gaped at her. “What did they say?”

Cinderfoot flicked some moss from her claws and hesitated. Waving her tail irritably, the leader beckoned the medicine cat to speak. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.

“Darkness lies within. Allies will become enemies and blood will be shed for the light to shine again.”

Briarstar was stiffen silent at the messsage. She had only just begun her leadership and this sullen omen from StarClan discouraged her slightly.

‘Another battle so soon?’ She thought, solemnly. “Hasn't MoonClan suffered enough already?”

“What do you think this means?” Cinderfoot asked, interrupting her thoughts. “I can only think of more deaths to come to MoonClan which is what we definitely don’t need. We’re already in short of warriors because of HazeClan’s attack.”

Briarstar folded her tail over her paws and tried to appear unruffled. “I hate to say this but I sounds as if another battle may occur sooner than we thought and we can’t trust all the other Clans.” She replied, as if there was nothing to worry about. “That’s something we’ve already known though as they’ve ruined that trust long before the previous battle.” 

It sounded obvious saying it out loud, meaning the message would have more stitched in it than she thought, based on past omens. She dared not speak her true concerns to Cinderfoot in order not to upset her further. The medicine cat took messages from StarClan very pensively, as every medicine cat should, but sometimes got too wrapped up into them that she neglected her work. The leader watched as Cinderfoot stood up and began pacing around her cave. Her tail lashed out behind her, anxiety obvious in her movements. “We have yet to recover completely our last bloodshed and that battle wasn’t even predicted by StarClan. Why would they send us this message now?”

Briarstar stood and stretched, shaking her tortoiseshell pelt free of moss and padded over to the other she-cat. She licked her shoulder in a calming way. “This is a difficult time for all of us I agree but we’ll get through it like always. I’m sure of it.” 

Cinderfoot didn’t seem too convinced but didn’t speak more on the subject. Instead she sighed and began making her way back down the narrow cave. Briarstar followed once again, her pelt bristling in uneasiness. The medicine cat bid the leader goodbye with a silent nod of her head as they made it back to the mouth of the cave. When Briarstar turned to walk out, she stumbled over something and plopped down on the mossy floor.

“Oh, sorry Briarstar!” Mewed a small voice.

The leader coughed and saw Sagekit standing in front of her, her ears folded back in embarrassment. Cinderfoot sighed and waved her over with her tail. The small gray she kit scuffled over to her, her tail tucked as Briarstar stood back up.

“I didn’t mean to trip you, I swear!” The kit promised, her eyes glistening with fear.

“No problem Sagekit, just watch where you are going next time.” The leader replied, shaking moss from her pelt.

The gray kit looked relieved at her lack of retribution and as Briarstar turned away to leave the cave she could hear her let out a small breath.

The clearing appeared speckle patterned with sunlight peeking through the trees that protected the camp which meant that the sun had fully reached the sky. Briarstar spotted two of the apprentices in MoonClan, tumbling around in the sand near the warriors cave. Hawkpelt was observing them from afar, his eyes focused solely on his own apprentice. The tabby warrior flicked his tail in acknowledgement of the leader’s presence as she approached and continued watching them. Lionpaw, a golden brown tabby tom had his opponent, Toadpaw, a dark brown tabby tom, in a tight grip around his neck. The darker tom hissed in disgruntlement as he tried to break free from his grip, but to no avail. 

“Lionpaw, let him go.” Hawkpelt ordered but the younger tom ignored him.

Briarstar watched in shock as the golden tom went to bite at Toadpaw’s neck and stepped in between them. She knocked Lionpaw off with a hard paw and rounded on him. 

“What do you think you were doing?” She demanded, biting each word out.“You could’ve hurt Toadpaw!”

The golden apprentice fluffed his pelt out in defense and scoffed at the leader. “We were only training Briarstar!” He whined, lashing his tail out in annoyance. “I haven’t done anything wrong! Why do I always get the blame for just training?”

Obviously, the leader didn’t appreciate the back talk and narrowed her eyes. “Lionpaw, training doesn’t involve almost biting your clanmates in the neck.” She pointed out. “That is not the way MoonClan warriors fight unless your opponent is trying to kill you.” 

Lionpaw lowered himself at Briarstar’s hard glare but before she could continue, Toadpaw bounded over to them. 

For a moment, the leader almost thought the darker tom was seriously hurt from the spar, but she recalled that his right ear was permanently folded over from birth. His own mother, Mossheart, died from giving birth to him and he was born with the folded ear which never opened. Toadpaw was nursed and cared for by Lionpaw’s mother, Sunstripe, so the two toms were basically brothers.

“Please don’t punish him, Briarstar.” The dark brown apprentice pleaded. “We were just trying to fight like we did with HazeClan. Hawkpelt and Reedtail won’t teach us how to fight like them but we really wanted to learn.”

The leader turned her burning gaze to the smaller tom. “HazeClan fights like rogues.” She told him with the lash of her tail. “They show no mercy and even if they did fight fairly, there isn’t an excuse to bite each other in the neck. You two should know better.”  
Hawkpelt sat beside her and nodded. “She’s right, you two could seriously hurt each other fighting like that. StarClan knows we don’t need anymore injuries especially not from our apprentices.”

Both apprentices looked guilty as they bowed their heads to the older cats. “We’re sorry.” Toadpaw apologized with a meow. 

Lionpaw didn’t look as guilty as Briarstar thought when he lifted his head quickly after Toadpaw apologized. “Yeah and we’ll try to spar less violently.” He said almost forcefully. 

Hawkpelt huffed, unconvinced. “Lionpaw, you especially need to learn how to listen to me when it comes to training.” He growled, irritated. “Open your ears next time, mousebrain! You do want to be a warrior right?” He cuffed his son’s ear before he could reply.

Briarstar lightly shoved her son’s side. “Remember what I told you, Hawkpelt.” She whispered out of earshot of the apprentices. “Don’t be so hard on him. He’ll come around eventually, I’m sure of it.”

Hawkpelt twitched his ears, showing that he had heard her and continued looking at his son with a softer gaze. “Come on Lionpaw. I’ll take you out hunting near the stream and if you promise to listen to me we’ll practice a new fighting move.” There was humor in his tone and his apprentice bounced up in joy.

“Okay Hawkpelt!” The golden tom dashed off towards the camp’s entrance. 

Hawkpelt shook his head and bounded after him, leaving Toadpaw kneading his paws in front of the MoonClan leader. “So what do you want me to do?” He asked nervously. "I haven't seen Reedtail all morning."

Briarstar purred at an attempt to ease the young tom and brushed his flank with her tail. “I want you to go and practice some of your moves with Swiftclaw. I’m sure he will be willing to teach you some new techniques while Reedtail is looking after Leaffur for today.”

Toadpaw glanced at Briarstar with amazement his green eyes. “Swiftclaw?” 

Briarstar nodded, noticing his astonishment and chuckled. Swiftclaw was one of the best fighters in MoonClan. He was also Cloudfoot’s brother so Briarstar trusted him quite well with the young apprentice.

“I’ll send for someone to get him unless you want to yourself.” She told him and Toadpaw hopped to his paws.

“I’ll get him, thanks Briarstar!” He said, skipping his way to the warrior’s cave.

Briarstar nodded to herself then turned and stalked her way across the clearing. She was now looking forward for a few moments of alone time on her cave.

The darkness cooled her as she padding inside her cave. She made out her feathered nest out of the shadows and quickly settled down into it. She crossed her paws as she laid down and let out a long sigh. The tortoiseshell she-cat began to curl up into her sleeping position before she paused to glance at the odd markings that dipped into the cave walls. Briarstar made out long claw marks that etched the interior walls of HighStone and admired them for a few moments. Generations of leaders before her made those marks all the way back to the first leader of MoonClan, Moonstar. Briarstar recalled that one of the past senior warriors said that Larkwing was his last daughter and beamed in realization that such a special cat gave her one of her lives. She wished that she could’ve spoken to her more in that moment and lashed her tail in frustration at herself.

The tortoiseshell she-cat placed her paw gently on one of the many scratch marks and ran her paw down the wall, feeling the bumps of each line against her paw pad. She thought she could feel each individual cat’s spirit within each claw mark and closed her eyes, hoping to visualize those past leaders.

Unfortunately, her concentration was cut short by the sudden yowling that came from outside. Briarstar snapped her eyes open and lashed her tail out in frustration.

‘What could it be now?’ She thought, irritably.

The leader shook her head and heaved herself to her paws. Another yowl was sounded and she trotted out the cave as fast as she could to see what all the commotion was about. She skidded to a stop at the sight of Cinderfoot glancing at a small mound of brown fur, sorrow staining her once bright blue eyes. 

As Briarstar padded closer, she saw that Reedtail was lying beside the mound, yowling swears at the sky. Her heart sunk once she realized what he was saying and almost fell down into the dirt beside him in agony.

Leaffur was dead.


	5. Chapter 4

As the sun began to sink behind the trees of the Forest, the MoonClan cats slowly gathered around the body that belonged to Leaffur and mourned. Reedtail had stopped his incoherent yowling and was silently watching from a few mouse-lengths away as each MoonClan cat made their way up to his mate and said their farewells. Echospirit also wouldn’t leave her side while Rainwhisker huddled their kits collectively back into the queens cave.

Briarstar noticed that Reedtail was shaking and padded up to him. He didn't acknowledge her presence as she sat beside him and kept staring at his mate, his body shaking involuntarily in shock. The leader wrapped her tail around his tense body and licked the tom’s ears, trying to comfort him as a mother would to her kit. She knew what he must’ve been feeling as she had too lost her mate. 

“I know what you may be feeling right now, Reedtail. Losing your mate is the most devastating feeling.” She whispered, her own voice shaking at the memory of Cloudfoot. “But, we must send Leaffur to Elder Rock before Moonhigh, to honor her life.” 

Reedtail nodded, his gaze unwavering from his mate’s body. Briarstar sighed and padded away from the tom to sit in front of Leaffur’s body. Her clanmates slowly gathered around her, their shoulders slumped in grief. 

Pawsteps sounded from on top of camp’s entrance and Briarstar turned to see Duskcloud standing there, his patrol rounding up behind him. He leapt down and trotted forward, carrying a squirrel in his jaws. The rest of his patrol was not far behind him, each carrying a bit of prey.

‘At least we’ll feast in honor of Leaffur’s spirit.’ Briarstar had thought, somewhat optimistically.

The deputy bounded over to the group of cats that crowded around Leaffur’s body and dropped his prey in surprise. His yellow eyes grew wide with shock before immediately filling with grief. 

“Oh no, Leaffur!” Duskcloud gasped, placing his muzzle on the dead cat’s flank. “No, No! You were too young to die!” He began to lick her sickly, matted fur.

Duskcloud was Leaffur's mentor when she was an apprentice, and it wasn't too long ago when she had became a warrior. The pair were a great team in training and she had saved his life in a past border dispute with HazeClan when a warrior tried to kill him in cold blood. 

Briarstar wrapped her tail around her deputy’s back and slowly guided the tom away from the limp mound of fur that was once bounding with life and endless energy, to join the rest of his clanmates. All of MoonClan was now in the clearing their presence stunned with shock at what happened, and waited for their leader to speak on the behalf of Leaffur's death.

The leader cleared her throat and made herself appear unaffected by the death in front of her battered clanmates by straightening up her stance before speaking. “Cats of MoonClan, it is a tragedy for me to say that we have lost not just one warrior, but one warrior with kits that had yet to set a paw out of the womb.” She began, somberly. 

“They would’ve been the future of this Clan, no doubt, with Leaffur expecting them in just a few days. No matter that, we still lost a fateful, fierce warrior and we will honor her for her courageous spirit and outgoing personality as long as we can and grief for her as she joins the ranks in StarClan.”

Briarstar paused to glance around and saw that everyone had their heads bowed and Reedtail had begun to sob again. Sunstripe, a golden she-cat with dark stripes, licked at his shoulder, trying to comfort him. The two cats were littermates and pain was probably going through Sunstripe as she watched her brother break down in front of his dead mate.

“It is now time to take Leaffur to Elder Rock for her proper ascend to StarClan.” Briarstar announced, dejectedly. “Reedtail, Sunstripe, I presume you two will be coming.”

With tear soaked and red eyes, both cats looked at their leader and nodded slowly. “Alright, who else will come to send Leaffur’s body to Elder Rock?” The leader offered, her gaze sweeping across the group of MoonClan cats.

Echospirit rose to her paws and stepped up to the leader. “I will come. Leaffur was my denmate since we were kits, and a courageous and generous friend to me all of her life. I would like to say my final goodbye.”

Briarstar nodded. “Very well. Anyone else?”

A young, orange tabby tom rose to his paws and staggered up to the leader. “I’ll go. I didn’t know Leaffur very well but she was always kind and patient with me when I would hunt or patrol with her. Plus, I’ve never been to Elder Rock and would like to see what the Senior warriors have told me about.”

The tortoiseshell leader dipped her head in acceptance. “Sunstripe, Echospirit, and Flamepaw, please lift Leaffur onto your backs and carefully carry her out of camp. Reedtail, you stay close behind them. I’ll be leading you all to Elder Rock in just a moment.”

Said cats followed her order and slowly began to carry Leaffur’s small body out of the MoonClan camp, Reedtail trailing behind them, his tail drooping in defeat. Briarstar glanced over her shoulder to lock eyes with her deputy. 

“Duskcloud will be in charge of camp while we are gone.” She informed so everyone could hear. A bit quieter, she added to him,“A guard should sit outside of camp in order to warn you if anything happens while I’m gone. Pick wisely and we will shall be back by Moonhigh.”

The black tom nodded and immediately began to scan the crowd for a potential guard. Briarstar, confident that he would be okay watching over the Clan, bounded up and out of the MoonClan camp, hurrying to catch up with the Elder Rock patrol.

 

…  
The feeling of desolation hung deep in Briarstar’s belly as she lead her small patrol down the path to Elder Rock, one she has traveled many times over but had never come easy. The worn down path was tramped down into sand which was tainted with the smell of blood and death, giving the leader flashbacks to when she had traveled this path many times prior. Briarstar had trekked down the same gloomy path for the deaths of her mother, father, mate, and son. She was left with nothing but her Clan which she vowed to protect with her life. Although now, she felt she had already let them down with the death of Leaffur even though it wasn’t her fault.

Sounds of Reedtail sniffling behind her brought the leader back to the present. Her clanmates pawsteps were heavily dragging in the soil as they silently carried Leaffur on their backs. As the path began to narrow, Briarstar slowed her pace to a stop and turned to them.

“We are now near the Elder Rock and must stop and say a few words to StarClan before we deliver Leaffur’s body to them.” The tortoiseshell she-cat recited, each word being forced out of her. 

She didn't think she would be preforming this ceremony so soon into her leadership. Hollystar had said the same speech when Adderkit and Cloudfoot died and both times caused Briarstar to choke up. She didn’t come to Hollystar’s burial as she had to watch over the camp like most deputies do when the Clan has lost their leader. Also, she didn’t think she could sit through the burial without crying incoherently the whole time so she opted with the Senior warriors taking her body to Elder Rock.

“StarClan, we ask of you to welcome this young warrior into your ranks.” The leader began, her voice wavering slightly.

“MoonClan has appreciated her short time as a warrior and she has served her Clan well for the time she was here. We hope her unborn kits will grow up strong and healthy in StarClan and will send well wishes to her as she passes.” She paused to motion to her Clanmates with her tail. 

“We must now deliver Leaffur’s body to Elder Rock, where she will rest in peace with the rest of StarClan.”

The cats all nodded and each took a hold of Leaffur, Reedtail at the head, while Briarstar was holding up her bottom. With the flick of Reedtail’s tail, they tossed the small she-cat over the edge and watched as her body tumbled down to the Elder Rock, landing safely on the pile of other dead cats. Reedtail continued to stare over the edge for a few moments before Sunstripe stepped up beside him and placed a gentle paw on his shoulder. The tom instantly plopped down into a laying position and began to weep once more. Echospirit and Flamepaw went up to comfort him but the leader held her tail up in front of them, blocking their way.

“Leave him to mourn.” She instructed with a sigh. “Sunstripe will sit vigil with him until dawn, then will return back to camp tomorrow.”

With that, Briarstar turned and bounded back into the depths of the forest, her clanmates scrambling after her. The tortoiseshell’s heart pounded in her ears as he paws led her away from the pungent scent of death and back into more pleasant territory. 

The area was becoming somewhat familiar as she kept on, her clanmates pounding behind her. With the path to Elder Rock scattered behind her, she slowed her pace into a trot, letting her clanmates catch up to her. The trees had thickened back out and the early moon was fading up into the purple streaked sky as the three cats traveled in silence, the death of Leaffur still hanging heavily on their shoulders. Briarstar caught scent of a mouse nearby but she had no appetite to even attempt to hunt. Her ears flickered at the sound of Flamepaw’s belly grumbling and she halted. 

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the young tom staring at her, sheepishly.

“Sorry Briarstar, I haven’t had anything to eat all day.” He muttered, his ears flattened in embarrassment. “Do you mind if we stop and hunt?”

The leader chuckled and licked the tom’s ear affectionately. “Now I can’t have my clanmates going hungry.” She commented, attempting to lighten the mood. “Go on and see what you can find.” 

She then turned to the gray Queen behind him. “Echospirit, you can go as well if you want. I’m sure being stuck in the queen's cave has made you crave the thrill of hunting again.”

The gray she-cat gazed gratefully at her leader. “Thanks Briarstar.” She pounced away into some bushes while Flamepaw went in the opposite direction.

It was only a few moments later when Flamepaw’s orange head poked up from a few fox-lengths away, a large mouse in his jaws. He came padding up to the leader with his prey proudly swinging from his mouth and dropped it at her paws. 

“You can have this one.” He offered, pointing at the mouse. “I can get another before we go on.”

Briarstar, while flattered by his unselfish nature, shook her head. “No Flamepaw, you've caught this, you deserve it. I get something when we get back to camp.” The tabby dipped his head in thanks and immediately tore into his meal.

Echospirit appeared when he had scarfed half of it down, a plump mouse in her mouth. 

Briarstar was impressed with her clanmates. She herself was a clumsy hunter, often missing prey because of her heavy pawsteps stirring up leaves and dirt in her path. She couldn’t help to think that it was her kittypet roots that kept her from hunting as well as the Clan, but she still strived to make the most of her abilities.

The MoonClan leader denied when Echospirit tried to offer the prey she had caught to her and sat and watched as her clanmates finished off their meals. Once full, the two cats buried their remains and Briarstar led them on.

...  
The once bright moon gleamed a gloomy gray through the leaves of the tall pines of MoonClan’s territory as the group of cats sauntered along. Dry, brown leaves dusted the ground, crunching under the weight of the Clans cats as the patrol slumped through. The air was crisp and cold, but it was an improvement on the air of the path to ElderRock. Through the incoming trees, the camp wall came into Briarstar’s sight and she picked up her pace, her clanmates at her tail.

Swiftclaw’s large gray and white body stood tall as guard in front of the camp’s entrance. His yellow eyes had sorrow buried behind them but he held up a brave face as Briarstar’s patrol approached. He nodded silently to the leader while Echospirit greeted him with an affectionate lick to his cheek. The tom let out a purr in response. Briarstar could help but to feel slightly envious at their love but recoiled the feeling realizing that she still had her love watching over her, in StarClan. She padded by the happy couple and entered camp with Flamepaw behind her. 

“You go on and get some rest.” Briarstar directed, turning to the orange colored apprentice. “No border patrols for you tomorrow, understood?”

Flamepaw nodded tiredly and scuffed his way to the apprentice cave for the night. Out of the corner of her eye, Briarstar spotted Duskcloud approaching and turned to greet him. 

“So how’d it go?” He whispered, stopping short in front of the leader. 

The tortoiseshell she-cat bowed her head. “Leaffur’s body has been sent to Elder Rock and her spirit walks with StarClan now. Reedtail and Sunstripe have stayed back to hold vigil for her. I couldn’t stay long, the scent of death was too much for me to handle.”

The black tom brushed his head on Briarstar’s side in an effort to comfort her. She accepted this gesture and let out a purr of content. They soon began sharing tongues, Briarstar desperately trying to get her mind occupied by something other than death.

Suddenly, an abrupt cough caused the two cats to break apart and Briarstar stared at who interrupted them. The MoonClan medicine cat sat a mouse-length from them, her eyes slightly narrowed on the deputy. 

“May I speak with Briarstar?” She requested, not removing her blue gaze from the black tom. “Alone.”

Duskcloud, looking confused, slowly nodded and padded away from them. Once his black body disappeared inside the warriors cave, Cinderfoot beckoned the leader with her tail toward HighStone, the herb sash slung across her back. Briarstar followed the medicine cat under the rock and inside the cave, worry etching her mind.

‘Has something come up while I was away?’ She thought wearily. ‘What’s so important that the Clan deputy couldn’t hear?’

Cinderfoot crossed in front of her and stood at the foot of Briarstar’s nest. “Before you ask, no nothing has happened since you’ve been gone.” She said, washing some of the leader’s worry away. “I wanted to give you some herbs to help calm your nerves. Distractions such as Duskcloud would’ve only worried you more. I know you need to rest, so here.”

Relief flowed through Briarstar as the medicine cat dug out some poppy seeds from her herb sash and passed them over to her. The leader lapped them up immediately and purred at her clanmate. 

“Thanks Cinderfoot.”

As the medicine cat nodded and turned to leave, Briarstar realized she had more to say to her and jumped in front of the entrance of the cave, blocking her way out. “Before you leave, I want you to fetch Duskcloud for me. We have a pair of kits to discuss mentors for and you may have interest in one of them.”


	6. Chapter 5

A howling gust of wind blew through the branches that clung to the trees of the Forest and into the MoonClan camp, bringing a blur of dusty leaves that scattered around the clearing with it. The sun was just beginning to rise, it's rays just barely poking out between the clouds. 

It has been four sunrises after Leaffur’s death and even though the Clan was still in grief, life continued on. Patrols were sent out as usual but cats came back looking more exhausted than before. Losing kits always was a sore spot to any Clan especially to MoonClan who had lost the most cats in the past season than any other Clan.

On a particular morning, before any patrols departed for the day, Briarstar decided that she would hold a special ceremony in hopes to lighten their spirits. She stood tall on the HighStone watching her Clan gather below her after her call, and twitched her tail, eager to begin speaking.

Cinderfoot and Duskcloud stood on either side of her, both showing signs of anticipation as they watched the cats gather under HighStone. Today was a very special day.

Two gray kits padded excitedly out the queens cave, their mother, Echospirit, nudging them along gently while their father, Swiftclaw, looked proudly at them from afar. 

They halted in front of the HighStone and Briarstar hopped down to begin the ceremony. The leader dipped her head in greeting and smiled warmly at the two kits. She was just as excited as the kits as it would be her first time performing this special ceremony. 

She took her time to recite the words she had heard Hollystar say many times over and began the speech. “Finchkit and Sagekit, you both have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to begin training as MoonClan apprentices.” She began, her eyes shining in excitement.

The leader glanced directly at Finchkit. “Finchkit, do you promise to learn and follow the warrior code and to also listen carefully to your mentor throughout your apprenticeship?”

The young tom beamed under the leader’s warm smile. “I do!”

“Then from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Finchpaw.” Briarstar continued, dipping her head. “Amberstone, come forth!”

At once, a brown and gray she-cat stepped from the crowd and made her way up to the new apprentice and leader. “Amberstone, you are ready to take on another apprentice after Speckfoot. I hope to see another success from you with Finchpaw.” 

Briarstar watched as Amberstone leaned down to touch noses with the small gray tom. Finchpaw peeped in excitement as he pulled away and stared at his mentor, the intensity in his eyes reminiscent to when Briarstar became an apprentice, all those seasons ago. 

The leader then turned and caught glimpse of Cinderfoot leaping down from the HighStone. The medicine cat stood tall before the young cats, her blue eyes shining with youth. 

“Cats of MoonClan,” The medicine cat began loudly. “Since I won’t be around for forever, I thought that I’d finally take on an apprentice to train. I have chosen a cat that shows patience and compassion for caring for others, which is what we need for our next medicine cat.”

She paused to take a breath, the Clan’s anticipation rising. “My apprentice will be Sagekit.”

Briarstar looked down at the little gray she-cat who was glancing up at Cinderfoot in surprise. “Sagekit, do you accept the duty of being Cinderfoot’s apprentice?” She asked, interrupting her blatant staring. 

Sagekit nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Yes I do!” She squeaked, not breaking eye contact with the medicine cat.

With a chuckle, Cinderfoot went on. “Then at next Half Moon, you must travel with me to StoneFalls to meet the warriors of StarClan and be accepted as a medicine cat apprentice officially.”

The gray she-cat bounced up, just as excited as her brother before receiving a gentle nudge from Briarstar. “May StarClan light your path, young Sagepaw.”

MoonClan erupted in cheers of the two new apprentices’ names and both their eyes shined with the praise. The leader let it last for a few moments before letting out a yowl to settle them. 

“I am now going to organize patrols for the day so warriors and apprentices, please remain in the clearing. Everyone else is dismissed.”

Cinderfoot nudged Sagepaw with her muzzle, out of the way of the warriors who came to huddle around Briarstar, and into the medicine cat cave. 

“Come, I have a lot to show you.” She had whispered to her new apprentice.

Once everyone was settled and paying attention to Briarstar again, the leader continued with the meeting. “For the border patrol, I would like Clovertail leading with Flamepaw, Amberstone, Finchpaw, and Bramblefall accompanying him.” She announced. 

“You all should mark the RainClan border. Our scent lines have more than likely become stale there, which, if we’re not careful, RainClan could take advantage of. Those are prime hunting grounds and I don’t want them getting any ideas.”

Clovertail, a brown tabby tom, and the rest of his patrol broke away from the crowd and hustled out of the camp. Finchpaw was bouncing on each paw as he followed his mentor to the camp entrance, seemingly eager to explore the territory for the first time. His small body scrambled to get a grip and climb up the pebble-covered hill that led out of the camp and Bramblefall reached down to drag him up by his scruff.

Briarstar then turned and jumped back up the HighStone to where Duskcloud was busy staring at his paws. He was still in a state of melancholy over Leaffur and had been slumped around camp for the past few days. She prodded him with her tail and he snapped his head up to glance at her as if he had done something wrong.

“Pick who you want for the hunting patrol.” She directed in a whisper.

Recollection hit him as he let out an ‘Oh!’, and faced the Clan, embarrassment now flowing off of him in waves. “Um, for the hunting patrol, I think Rowanheart should lead.” He sounded unsure of his decision but kept going. “Echospirit, Hawkpelt, and Lionpaw should maybe go with him, I don’t know.” 

The black tom ducked his head and stared at the ground as the cats he chose shuffled to their paws and exited camp, their mutters about him causing him to sag more. Briarstar placed her tail on the tom’s back and concluded the meeting, dismissing her clanmates. 

She then led her deputy off HighStone and into her cave where she could speak to him privately.

The darkness of the cave seemed to calm the tom as his muscles relaxed under the weight of Briarstar’s tail as she led him to her nest. They both sat down across from each other, Duskcloud plopping down with a groan.

“I wish I could be more leader-like.” He confessed, sounding upset. “Why did you believe in me when there are plenty of other qualified cats in MoonClan? I can barely set up a simple patrol, nevermind run a Clan.”

Briarstar gazed at him sadly. “Duskcloud, you have to see through to yourself. You are a natural born leader.” 

The leader placed her paw on his making his yellow eyes met her own green ones.

“I was a kittypet and I became leader somehow. I knew nothing of the mountains and almost died a few times because of my naive nature. You, on the other paw, were born and raised in this terrain. You know everything there is to know about MoonClan territory which I highly am impressed by.”

Duskcloud scoffed harshly. “Knowing my territory doesn’t make me a good leader, Briarstar.”

The leader, taken aback by his sharp tone, nodded slowly. She took a moment to think of a good enough excuse to feed to him. “Yes that is true, but I see more in you that just a tom who knows their territory.” She meowed calmly. 

“You are a strong willed, compassionate warrior who always puts his Clan first. We need that in a leader, not some brute who kills off the sick and weak like HazeClan, or someone who drowns disabled kits like RainClan.” 

The tom glanced away from her and shuddered at the reminder of the other Clans and what they would think of him. 

Briarstar shook her head, realizing she had gone off topic. “I digress.” She went on. “All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t have chosen you for no good reason and you should try to see in yourself that you can be a leader.”

The black tom turned his head as if he didn’t want to hear anymore. He silently stood to his paws and backed out of the cave leaving Briarstar feeling guilty.

‘Did I hurt him even more?’ She thought, wearily. ‘Duskcloud is a great warrior and I don’t want him mad at me over Hollystar’s decision.’ 

Briarstar padded around her nest, ready to settle down for a nap. ‘He’s just in a sensitive place in his mind as he just lost his apprentice and thinks that he’s failed everyone even though this wasn’t his fault.’

Her thoughts dissipated in the air when Flamepaw came darting into her cave, his orange tabby pelt immediately darkening within the shadows of the interior walls. He skidded to a halt and stood shakily in front of Briarstar, his fur on edge.

“RainClan has crossed the border and has attacked our patrol!” He panted, his voice frantic. 

The leader widened her eyes in surprise. “RainClan?” She questioned, tilting her head in confusion. “How many warriors?”

Flamepaw, looking slightly annoyed at her question, shrugged his shoulders. “I really couldn’t tell as they surprise attacked us, but there is more than our patrol for sure. You must come now!”

Briarstar hopped to her paws and sped out into the clearing. She spotted Reedtail and Sunstripe sharing tongues near the warrior cave and called them over. The two siblings dashed over to her and dipped their heads in greeting. 

“What’s wrong?” Sunstripe asked, when she noticed the leader’s frantic state.

“RainClan is attacking the border patrol right now! I need you two to come with us to drive them off.” Briarstar quickly explained.

In a flash, the two siblings nodded and bolted out of the Moonclan camp, Flamepaw at their heels. Duskcloud approached from the fresh kill pile, his eyes wide with question, his jaws stuffed with a mouthful of vole. He dropped the prey and opened his mouth to question the leader for the commotion. 

But before he could meow a word, Briarstar cut him off with, “RiverClan is attacking the border patrol right now. I’m going to help but you need to stay and guard the camp with the rest of the warriors.” 

Without even seeing his reaction, the MoonClan leader whisked around and bounded out of camp into the forest.

...  
Leaping over fallen trees and jagged rocks that protruded from the ground, the tortoiseshell she-cat burst her way through MoonClan territory, following Flamepaw’s trail. She reached the RainClan border in record time and skidded to a halt when she reached the edge of a small cliff and spotted the fighting cats below.

MoonClan slightly was outnumbered from her standpoint, with easily nine warriors on RainClan’s side. That was more than the average patrol which meant that they were planning a full on raid on Moonclan’s hunting grounds or they were planning to attack!

Briarstar charged into battle with a yowl and hurled herself squarely on top of Splashfur, RainClan’s deputy. The pale brown she-cat had a yowling Finchpaw hooked under her claws, slicing deep wounds into his pelt. The small gray tom fought clumsily to get her off but with no avail. 

Splashfur hissed as she felt the claws of Briarstar tearing her off of the apprentice, and whipped around, giving Finchpaw the opportunity to flee. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sunstripe skirting after him. A few of the RainClan cats dashed across the border at the leader’s surprise attack, but Splashfur took no notice of them.

One of Briarstar's claws tore as swung the deputy away and threw her on her side. Splashfur quickly recovered and leapt back at the leader, sending them both tumbling on the forest floor, stirring up dust in the morning air. 

Briarstar threw herself on top of the other she-cat again and with a sharp twist, she clawed straight down her back. Caught off guard, Splashfur howled in pain, flipped around, and kicked the leader off.

Blood pounded in her ears as Briarstar kept her balance and fought back the deputy. Her intrepidly, fast and powerful swipes were aimed at her head and face which forced the deputy to back up with every hit. Splashfur had managed to slice her ear open with one sharp swipe but the leader continued with her attack, unfazed. 

Splashfur yowled in pain when the leader jumped forward, and grabbed ahold of her ear. She managed to shake her around a few times, sharp teeth tearing into her before the she-cat had had enough. Splashfur growled and reared up onto her hind legs to slam her paws on top of her head in a skull crushing move, something that would kill a cat in an instant.

Briarstar realized what she was doing and quickly sprang back, watching as her enemy handed hard on her paws.

With blood dripping into her mouth, she spat, “What do you think you are doing in MoonClan’s territory?” 

While steadying herself, the RainClan deputy hissed but didn’t immediately launch herself on the leader like Briarstar anticipated. Specks of blood dripped out from her ripped ear and spilt out onto the ground as she shook out her ruffled pale brown pelt. 

“It seems that MoonClan has become too weak to mark their own boundaries.” Splashfur sneered, lashing her tail menacingly. “RainClan must take advantage of that, unless this kittypet Clan is actually willing to battle over it.” 

Briarstar growled at the deputy and scratched her claws in the soil. Just as she was going to retort, Clovertail came crashing into her side with a screech. Winded, the MoonClan leader coughed and rolled to her paws to quickly glance around. She spotted another RainClan warrior, a black tabby tom named Dustfern, hurdling after him. 

“Come on, little Clover, fight me like a real warrior!” Taunted the dark tabby.

Clovertail groaned in pain but jumped back to his paws to meet the larger warrior head on. The two toms leapt simultaneously at each other, claws locking, and rolled away from Briarstar. 

From a fox-length away, Briarstar could make out Flamepaw and Amberstone. They were fighting off two RainClan cats side by side. Flamepaw hooked his claws under his opponent's front legs and tripped them onto their back. While on their back, Amberstone aimed breathtaking blows on their belly then spun around to fend off the other cat. 

Briarstar was impressed by their technique and looked away, confidence radiating through her pelt.

Bramblefall wasn’t too far from them, battling with a small gray tom, her dark calico pelt splashed with blood. The gray tom looked not much older than a kit but that didn’t stop the MoonClan warrior from slashing into his flanks and sending him back over the border. 

Through the thicket, the leader saw that Reedtail had a black RainClan she-cat pinned by the neck, her yowls blending in with the noise of battle. Sunstripe and Finchpaw were nowhere to be seen, which was worrying.

Briarstar then turned to see Splashfur swiftly rising her forepaw and swiping it across her face, sending the leader whirling backwards into a bush. Although her head buzzed, the tortoiseshell she-cat continued to fight back. 

She broke herself free from the brambles that clawed at her pelt and threw herself on top of the deputy, effectively slamming into her. The leader was appreciative of her heavy weight for a change as she pinned the warrior under her. 

With Splashfur dazed on her back, she took the opportunity to rack her claws down her exposed belly, causing the she-cat to screech in pain. Despite the screams and struggle, Briarstar continued to slice into the she-cat, warm blood bubbling out onto her paws and flying onto her muzzle.

She clawed and clawed until Splashfur finally yowled out, “RainClan retreat!”

Instantly, the trespassers stopped fighting at her order. They collected themselves before sprinting back over the border, leaving Splashfur still under the MoonClan leader’s claws. Briarstar backed off of her once the last RainClan warrior disappeared into the trees and the pale brown she-cat growled.

She began spitting insults left and right once left on her enemy’s territory, blood flowing out from several deep gashes.“MoonClan is nothing but bloodthirsty rogues. HazeClan was right when they said we need to rid of you. You’re nothing but just savage kittypet filth! RainClan will have you shredded into mousedust next time we battle!”

Briarstar laughed at the pale she-cat’s pathetic threats. “I'd like to see you try, seeing that you're barely holding yourself together now.” She threatened, her claws digging into the blood stained dirt. “Now hurry along back to your precious Clan before RainClan has no deputy to succeed their great leader.”

With that, the RainClan deputy snarled and briskly turned to limp back across the border, blood trailing out behind her. Briarstar starred as the deputy’s body disappeared into the undergrowth until a soft tail gently prodded her side. She turned to see Bramblefall, pointing her tail towards her battered clanmates that were huddling near each other. 

In spite of the pain that was slowly succumbing to her, Briarstar felt exhilarated at the win over RainClan. She could still feel the warm blood on her claws and hear her own rapid heart beating as she paced over to meet her clanmates.

Clovertail was sharing tongues with Flamepaw, cleaning themselves from the blood and dirt, while Reedtail dragged himself to his paws with a grunt beside them. The dark brown tom had claw marks littered across his pelt but nothing that looked too serious. Amberstone had a torn whisker and was slightly limping when she joined the group but her eyes showed no pain, only pride. 

Briarstar stood before them, the feeling of her own ear bleeding distracting her for moment before she finally spoke. “This isn’t the end of this battle with RainClan, but we sent them a good message to stay off our land.” She meowed, fiercely. “Come, let’s get back to camp so Cinderfoot can check your wounds.”

…  
With Briarstar in the lead, the worn out MoonClan cats traveled slowly back to camp, the sun rising high above their backs and filtering between the trees that surrounded them. The only sound that came to her ears was the dragging of her clanmates’ paws in the dirt and the heavy breathing of Flamepaw from behind her.

It was just past Sunhigh when the patrol trudged through the camp entrance, their tails dragging in the dirt. “Go to Cinderfoot, all of you.” Briarstar ordered briskly. “I have to inform the Clan about what has happened.” Without any altercations, all the cats padded to the medicine cat cave.

The MoonClan leader then trotted over to HighStone and leapt up on top, wincing in pain as she landed. She could see that the hunting patrol had returned as evident of the fresh kill pile being full, and her stomach rumbled. Alas, it wasn’t the time to eat so she ignored her hunger and called the Clan together.

“All cats of MoonClan, please gather under the HighStone for a Clan meeting.”

The pelts of her clanmates dashed out of their respective caves and met at the bottom of HighStone. Hushed voices of the concerned cats rose when everyone had gathered and noticed Briarstar’s battered state from above. 

Duskcloud’s black pelt skirted through the crowd, bumping into a few cats, before he came close enough to jump up beside his leader.

“Cats of MoonClan, as you may or may not know, RainClan has crossed the border into our hunting grounds and were attempting to steal prey.”

Outraged calls arose around the clearing from various cats, showing that not everyone knew what had happened. “While our dawn patrol was out, they had spotted them and RainClan launched an attack on us, as if we were breaking the warrior code.” 

She let out a forced chuckle at that then continued, “Flamepaw sprinted as fast as he could back to camp to get help. I, Reedtail, and Sunstripe followed him and together with the rest of the patrol, drove those trespassers out!”

Yowls of triumph sparked from around the clearing as the MoonClan cats basked in their victory over RainClan. From the corner of her eye, the MoonClan leader spotted Finchpaw staggering down into camp, Sunstripe not far behind him. The two looked exhausted from the battle as well from the long trek through the forest as seen by their heavy pawsteps. 

Sunstripe whispered something to the gray tom out of earshot of the leader before he limped away to the medicine cat cave. Sunstripe settled beside Feathertail and joined in with the yowls of her Clan.

Briarstar hushed the crowd with the raise of her tail and continued speaking. “We may have won this battle but RainClan doesn’t give up easily. I reckon they are probably planning an attack on us once they’ve recovered from this one.” 

Stunned silence swept across the clearing before one cat spoke up. Swiftclaw stood to his paws and hissed at the leader. “So what are we going to do about it?” He demanded, his fur bristling. “Sit back and hold our tails as other Clans assault us? I say we attack at once!” 

Swiftclaw was often a cat to speak out at meetings especially if they involved fighting with other Clans. Like any warrior, he was protective of his Clan and do anything to keep them safe. He was trained by a previous great warrior named Wolffang, whom he gained his slightly aggressive attitude from. 

Ultimately, it made him into a ferocious warrior, one no cat should want to meet in battle. Briarstar couldn’t be more than thankful that he was one her side, for the most part.

Briarstar met the warrior’s hard yellow glare steadily. “Duskcloud and I are going to be scheduling more patrols to make sure that the other Clans don't attack us while our backs are turned.” She replied evenly.

“There is no need to attack them while a majority of our Clan is injured from the last battle. We can’t afford to lose anymore warriors and preventing the next battle is on the top of my priorities.”

Several groans from younger cats arose across the clearing at the mention of more patrols, one being Lionpaw. “I’m tired of the constant patrols.” He complained over the voices of his clanmates. “Why can't we just fight them again? That was fun and it should get them off our backs a lot quicker than dumb patrols.”

Briarstar narrowed her eyes at him as she was in no mood to argue with her arrogant grandson. “Hawkpelt and Lionpaw, you are to scout out the RiverClan border tonight with Swiftclaw and Cedarlight. Don’t be late.” She ordered, pointedly staring at the golden apprentice. 

Embarrassed at being pointed out, the golden tom flattened his ears and glanced away from the leader. Swiftclaw didn't argue with his leader’s order and bowed his large grey head. “I would like another border patrol tonight to scout the HazeClan border.” Briarstar continued, satisfied at their submission. 

“Rowanheart, Speckfoot, and Petalpool should go on this patrol. The rest of the warriors and apprentices will remain at camp recovering.”

The MoonClan cats all agreed to this arrangement and Briarstar dismissed them. With the late sun hitting her back, the leader laid down on top of HighStone and placed her head on her paws. Exhaustion got the best of her moments later and despite the pain, she fell asleep without disturbance. 

…  
The sound of the night patrols marching out of camp roused the tortoiseshell she-cat from her slumber. She sleepily blinked her eyes open and was met by the dim sight of the camp’s empty clearing, the dirt space colored a dull gray from the moon. Cedarlight’s brown and white patched body was the last thing the leader saw before she and the rest of the patrol exited camp.

Briarstar lifted herself to her paws and groaned. The pain from the scratches littering her body burned like fire as she leapt off HighStone. She bypassed the temptations of the fresh kill pile and headed straight for the medicine cat cave for herbs.

Sagepaw almost bumped into the leader as she padded past her, the gray and white apprentice carrying a bundle of leaves in her mouth. Briarstar had opened her mouth to ask if she had needed help but Cinderfoot’s sharp mew sounded from further inside the cave and she stepped past the young she-cat to head deeper. 

The light brown medicine cat was stood over Finchpaw, rubbing a sharp smelling liquid into his fur. Echospirit was laying at his head, giving her son slow licks on his face. The young tom’s body reminded the leader of a piece of mangled fresh kill, his fur saturated with blood from the battle, and his body twisted awkwardly in the feathered nest.

The only sign of life was from the slow steady rise of his chest. He looked like a small, helpless kit in the paws of the medicine cat as she worked to heal him. After Cinderfoot finished rubbing the liquid in, she wiped her paws on the ground and licked the tom’s ears gently.

“He will be staying with me tonight.” She told Echospirit. “Finchpaw is in no condition to move right now as he needs to rest.”

Finchpaw barely lifted his head as he tried to open his mouth to respond but his mother just continued to lick him and curled around her kit. Briarstar could imagine how much pain they were both in, knowing the emotional feeling of caring for an injured kit, and the physical pain the tom was in as it was his first fight with a rival Clan. 

And out of all cats he fought was the experienced Splashfur who would’ve ripped him completely to pieces if Briarstar hadn’t shown up to save him. 

‘She really did a toll on him.’ Briarstar thought sadly. ‘I just hope he recovers enough to at least begin his training. Amberstone would be so disappointed if he couldn’t become a warrior.’

Briarstar sighed, catching Cinderfoot’s attention. The medicine cat glanced up and waved her over with the flick of her tail. “Let me take a look at you.”

The light brown she-cat placed her paws on Briarstar’s body and felt around for any major injuries when she had sat in front of her. Once determined that the leader hadn’t broken a bone or damaged anything important, she backed away and turned to her herb supply. 

“You only have a few minor scratches, a torn claw, and a nick in your ear.” She informed, quiety. “I’ll give you some Marigold for your scars but other than that, you’ll be fine.”

The medicine cat turned and grabbed a fresh looking, orange flower from her stash and proceeded to chew its petals, creating a poultice. She then spat out the chewed plant and dripped its liquids onto her paws.

Briarstar braced herself as she rubbed in the stinging juice onto her scars. It burned every time she received it but it was worth the pain as it healed scratches effectively. 

It did burn, as expected, but once she was finished, the leader brushed her tail on Cinderfoot’s shoulder. “Thank you Cinderfoot. Would you like me to get you some fresh-kill?”

Cinderfoot sat down and swished her tail across her paws. “No thank you.” She declined gently. “Sagepaw already brought me some earlier. You should go groom yourself and then get some more rest. Tomorrow is the gathering and MoonClan needs their new leader to be strong.”

Briarstar had almost forgot that the gathering was so near! 

She was so caught up in the rivalry with the other Clans that the monthly gathering had almost slipped her mind. The MoonClan leader nodded, thanking the medicine cat once more before dismissing herself from the cave.

An eery silence swept across the camp followed by a gust of cold wind, reminding Briarstar that Leaf-Bare was sooner than she’d thought. Briarstar could already feel the ground beneath her paws growing harder because of the cooler air. She shivered. 

‘Leaf-Bare meant less prey and more tension over territory.’ She mused, padding along. ‘I hope GorgeClan stays smart and keeps out of it like usual. StarClan knows we don’t need all the Clans turning on us in this desperate time.’

Amberstone’s brown and gray pelt gleamed silver as she limped past the leader, dipping her head in respect before continuing on towards the medicine cat cave. Briarstar presumed she was going to check on her apprentice. 

The MoonClan leader halted once she had reached the fresh-kill pile and sat down. She looked over the already picked over pile and spotted a plump squirrel. She purred and dug out the squirrel, settled down, and tore into its body. 

Pawsteps sounded from behind her and she turned to see Flamepaw sauntering towards her, his body drooping from exhaustion. The orange colored tom had done a lot of traveling in these past few days and Briarstar could see it has been getting to him. 

The apprentice sat across from her and bowed his head in greeting. In return, the leader flicked her tail, allowing him to grab something to eat.

Flamepaw snagged a mouse from the pile and quietly munched on it as Briarstar finished her own meal. The prey sunk in comfortably in her once empty belly and she wrapped her tail around her body. 

She gave Flamepaw a quick lookover and saw that he wasn’t badly injured in the border dispute. He had a few minor scratches on his flanks but overall came out of pretty clean. His fast paws sure were skillful in battle and the leader couldn’t help but to admire him.

“You know,” She began causing the tom to jump at her sudden voice. “You were very brave today. RainClan would’ve invaded us if you didn’t come for help when you did.”

The apprentice bowed his head sheepishly. “Any cat could have done it, no need to praise me.” He meowed, not meeting the leader’s eyes. “It just looked as if we would have been overthrown if we continued to battle RainClan without any reinforcements.” 

Briarstar purred and placed her tail on his shoulder. “Well, I think your bravery should be honored with a special and long awaited ceremony.”

Flamepaw’s green eyes grew wide when he had realized at what she was hinting at. The orange tom was the oldest apprentice and should’ve been made a warrior moons ago in Briarstar’s opinion. His assessment was delayed by Hollystar because of the sudden battle between HazeClan. 

“I’ll ask Clovertail to assess you tomorrow in hunting and battle moves.” She decided, standing to her paws. “If you pass, then your ceremony will be in two sunrises, after the gathering.”

Completely forgetting his meal, the tom bounced to his paws and pranced over to the apprentice cave, presumably to tell the others. Briarstar shook her head at his excitement and chuckled softly. She reached over and scraped up some dirt to cover the mostly eaten mouse before turning to pad across the clearing.

Rustling noises sounded from the camp’s entrance and slowly emerging from the Forest came Toadpaw, a squirrel dangling from his jaws. Briarstar made a hmm sound and trotted over to confront the young tom, her tail waving. He immediately bowed his head at the sight of the leader approaching and helt on firmly to his catch.

“Why were you out of camp so late?” She demanded, narrowing her green eyes. “I don’t recall you being chosen for a patrol.”

Toadpaw dropped his squirrel and cocked his head to the side. “Hunting.” He replied as if it were obvious. 

Suspicion and doubt arose in the back of Briarstar’s mind but she kept her gaze evenly on him. She had no reason to question the apprentice as he has been honest in the past and didn’t believe he would do anything harmful to the Clan now. 

“Take that to the queens and then go rest.” She ordered, flicking her tail in direction of the queens cave. “You’ll be on guard duty during the gathering tomorrow.” 

Toadpaw nodded without hesitation and snatched up his squirrel to pad over to the queens cave. Rainwhisker’s three kits were in front of the entrance, wrestling around a ball of moss, their pelts covered in dirt. Toadpaw stepped pass them and disappeared inside the dark cave.

The MoonClan leader glanced up at the night sky. Grey clouds almost covered the white moon behind them but it was still bright enough for Briarstar to see. Rain was coming.

‘The gathering is tomorrow.’ She thought almost dejectedly, turning back to her cave. ‘I just hope no more confrontation arises this time. StarClan please help me.’


	7. Chapter 6

Pelts of the cats Briarstar chose for the monthly gathering huddled near the camp entrance the next evening, their voices muttering about what they had planned to hear from the other Clans. Her patrol consisted of Rowanheart, Echospirit, Swiftclaw, Sunstripe, Reedtail, Clovertail, Cinderfoot, Lionpaw, Flamepaw, and Sagepaw.

She insisted that the mostly injured cats to stay back at camp while a guard protects them. No one had disagreed with the order and the injured cats rested happily in their caves while Hawkpelt and Toadpaw were chosen to guard them until dawn.

Briarstar paced through the group of cats once everyone had gathered, her head and tail held high. She turned once she reached the camp’s entrance and stood beside the shaky Duskcloud. The hairs on the back of his neck were stood on edge as he nervously kneaded the ground. 

‘For the love of StarClan, don’t embarrass yourself in front of the other Clans.’ She urged herself while looking pointedly at her deputy. She couldn’t decide if the advice was to herself or the black tom and left it at that. 

Briarstar then nodded to her patrol and sprang up and out of camp, Duskcloud scrambling at her heels. 

 

...  
The crisp night wind blew through her thick fur as she pelted through the dense forest, sending waves of dead leaves up into the air behind her. She was leading the Clan to the gathering place, west of Moonclan’s territory. 

The gathering was held in an partially underground clearing near the twoleg place. Said area was overgrown with bushes, thorns, and weeds so it was the perfect spot for the Clan cats to meet, while unable to be spotted by the twolegs.

The MoonClan cats had made it to the entrance of the gathering place, which was covered thickly by overgrown brambles, as the moon sat high in the dark blue sky. A small hole dug in the middle of the brambles led down to a tunnel that eventually broke off into the clearing where the rest of the Clans would be gathering.

Briarstar caught the fresh scent of GorgeClan cats from the tunnel and sighed in relief. ‘At least they should be civil with us.’ She thought with a small smile. 

Her ears flickered up at the sounds of the distant twoleg monsters rumbling on the monster path and she caught whiff of their stinch wafting in the night air. This, among other things, gave her an uneasy feeling as she and her clanmates stood around the entrance of the tunnel.

‘Twolegs are usually asleep in their dens by now.’ She recalled, staring off in the direction of the unusually active twolegplace. ‘Wonder why they're up so late?’

The tortoiseshell she-cat then turned to her Clan and nodded for them to go on ahead of her so she could keep watch on them from the rear. Another monster roared by and didn’t think of straying from its path as the leader had dreaded.

One by one, each cat took their time climbing down into the tunnel, careful not to get their fur snagged by brambles on the way down. Flamepaw was the last cat to dive into the tunnel before Briarstar squeezed herself through. His long tail brushed against her nose as they both scooted down.

Earlier that day, the orange tom had passed his assessment and as promised, his warrior ceremony would be held the following morning. Clovertail had no doubts that his apprentice would pass as they had been training together for nearly a season and Flamepaw should’ve made a warrior moons ago.

Briarstar reached out in front of her and propelled herself forward, shimmying down the tunnel.

‘This tunnel gets smaller and smaller every moon.’ She thought irritably, inching down the narrow hole.

Soon enough, she had reached the bottom of the tunnel and popped out of the hole into the clearing. Briarstar was correct when she had sensed GorgeClan as a few cats from their Clan sat at the opposite side of the clearing, conversing with each other. She spotted the white and gray body of their leader, Springstar, sitting on top of the Leader’s Branch, staring directly at the hole in the canopy which showed the moon from outside.

The MoonClan cats scattered across the clearing to sit with their GorgeClan friends. Briarstar spotted Flamepaw and Lionpaw skipping over to sit with the apprentices, one of them being Applepaw, a slim brown and black she-cat with large yellow eyes, and the others were two black and brown cats that she didn’t recognize.The two toms began eagerly gossiping to the other apprentices while Clovertail and Applepaw’s mentor, Falconwing, a reddish-brown tom with white paws, began a conversation, eagerly waving their tails.

Briarstar’s ears twitched at the sounds of cats sliding down the tunnel behind her and jumped away to let the cats through. Her pelt prickled at the scent of HazeClan and backed away towards where Springstar was sitting on the Leader’s branch. She wasn't in hurry to confront them tonight. Webstar, HazeClan’s leader, emerged first from the tunnel, his white and brown pelt dappled a dark gray from the dim light of the clearing. He was followed by his deputy Stormblaze, a gray and brown tom, and Spiderclaw their medicine cat. 

The medicine cat looked slightly plumper than the rest of her clanmates which was odd because HazeClan cats were generally slim but undoubtedly strong, Spiderclaw usually being a prime example.

‘Greedy little foxface.’ Briarstar thought crossly.

The rest of Webstar’s patrol spilled out into the clearing and settled on the opposite side of GorgeClan and MoonClan, a few of his clanmates hissing threats at MoonClan. This has been their usual behavior ever since the kittypets and rogues were introduced into the Clans. It eased Briarstar to notice that Fallenleaf wasn’t among their cats and she wished with hope that she wouldn’t be antagonized as much tonight.

Webstar shot a look of hatred at Briarstar while he passed by to leap on the Leader’s Branch. Briarstar shook her head at him but didn’t retort to save her pelt. On the nights of the gatherings, Clans sat in peace with each other while their leaders reported what has happened in the past moon within their Clans. 

The MoonClan leader wouldn’t dare break that peace in fear of disappointing StarClan.

Lastly, RainClan cats began emerging from the tunnel. Their large bodies gleamed slickly in the moonlight. Their toned muscles showed through their wet pelts as they padded into the clearing, holding their heads proudly. 

RainClan was known to be very pretentious and proud in their ways, just because they were typically the most well-fed Clan had the most brute strength. Living in the marshes and having easy access to nearby streams sure gave RainClan the advantages that the other Clans would be desperate to have in the upcoming months with their endless supply of prey. 

Their leader, Boulderstar, a large gray tom with a white chest and paws, strolled up to Leader’s Branch, not stopping once to glance at Briarstar before jumping up to sit with the other leaders. He was the oldest of the all the leaders and it showed when he scrambled to get up the branch and grunted when he landed awkwardly on his old paws.

All of the Clans’ deputies sat under the branch under their leaders. The other deputies were Runningpelt from GorgeClan and Stormblaze from HazeClan. Suspiciously, Splashfur was nowhere to be seen, but a black she-cat called Nightfrost replaced her under Boulderstar. 

Briarstar and Duskcloud were sitting with the deputies and watched as the Clans settled around the clearing, GorgeClan and MoonClan merging while RainClan and HazeClan sat together on the opposite side. Cinderfoot padded up her clanmates and directed the MoonClan leader with her tail.

“Go and sit with the leaders, you furball.” She told her with a purr, walking by to presumingly sit with the other medicine cats.

“Don’t keep them waiting.” She called over her shoulder.

Sagepaw padded behind her, a skip in her step, but reared back when Briarstar saw Spiderclaw hiss at her. The apprentice dove between Cinderfoot’s front legs while the MoonClan medicne cat glared at the black she-cat’s hostile nature. 

Embarrassed at her mistake, Briarstar dipped her head to her deputy, shook off her pelt, and bunched her muscles to jump up onto the branch. She sprang up in the air and her front claws barely caught the thick bark of the branch. She dug in and with a strong heave, she lifted herself on top of the branch. 

Once she was balanced, she sat down beside Springstar who was looking at her with surprise. But before she could question her, Boulderstar’s loud yowl interrupted them and caused the clearing of chatting cats to fall silent.

“The moon is full which marks the start of this gathering.” Boulderstar’s voice rang out across the clearing, his voice raspy from age. “RainClan shall speak first.”

He cleared his throat before beginning his report for his Clan. “Frostleaf has birthed three healthy kits this past moon. I’m confident that they will be great warriors when their time comes. We also have two new apprentices here among us, Foxpaw and Littlepaw stand up.”

At his order, Briarstar spotted two small cats rise in the crowd, one a ginger colored tom with black paws and the other, a small tabby she-cat. The Clans chanted their names but instead of ducking in praise, the apprentices stood proudly, enjoying the attention. 

Littlepaw in particular was basking in the praise by smiling and waving her tail in encouragement, while her brother just stood at her side, his eyes shining.

The MoonClan leader wanted to scoff at their arrogance but she remained silent because tensions were already high between the two Clans and she didn’t want to start another dispute.

Boulderstar silenced the crowd with another yowl and looked over, catching Briarstar’s eye. His amber gaze settled on her and he smirked. “Why it seems we have a new leader among us.” He commented slowly. “My apologies for not letting you speak first as my old eyes didn’t see you among us tonight.”

Briarstar was surprised at his lack of hostility that the old leader was displaying and bowed her head respectfully. “Not a problem, Boulderstar. A leader as wise as you should always speak first at gatherings.” She attempted to flatter him. “StarClan probably respects you more than the other leaders, as they should.”

The gray tom narrowed his eyes on her and growled unexpectedly. “You don’t need to pander yourself to me kittypet.” He growled, his crooked whiskers twitching irritably. Briarstar lifted her paw in defense but the tom turned to address the crowd of cats, his old wiry hair bristling.

“MoonClan has some explaining to do as they attacked one of my hunting patrols, leaving my deputy disabled!” He accused, angrily.

Gasps and outraged yowls flew out from several cats across the clearing and Briarstar glared at the old leader. “Maybe your old mind has mistaken you Boulderstar, but RainClan was hunting on our land first.” She argued, lashing her tail. “We had the right to attack your patrol as they were in our territory.”

Boulderstar shook his large head and spoke with a wheeze in his voice. “Splashfur and her patrol reported that the territory RainClan was patrolling on was unmarked by any Clan for many moons.” He retorted. “RainClan has decided to claim it.”

The MoonClan leader stared at him in disbelief but before she could argue, someone from the crowd cut her off. “The land had weak scent marks and could not have been patrolled on for at least a moon!” 

Briarstar could see that the voice came from Dustfern, a RainClan warrior who was apart of the patrol that attacked them. The black tabby tom appeared to have pink scratches across his face, courtesy of Clovertail, and a kink in his ear as he stood from the crowd. 

“MoonClan proved that they are weak by not being able to mark their land properly, right Boulderstar?” Dustfern prompted, hostilely. “Everyone knows that their warrior count is dropping every moon. We should just take over while we can because those kittypets can’t uphold it for long at this rate.”

The MoonClan leader turned her glare on the tom, her fur fluffing in defense. “You’ve had no permission to speak at the gathering.” She pointed out through gritted teeth. “So sit down and shut your muzzle.” Dustfern snorted and sat back down, his tail flicking angrily from behind him.

Satisfied, Briarstar turned back to the RainClan leader who was looking at her expectantly. “I can agree that the territory RainClan invaded wasn’t marked for awhile, but that doesn’t give you the right to step a single paw into our territory and steal prey.” She hissed out. 

“I believe that the damage done to Splashfur was justified because her patrol crossed our borders first, which is against the warrior code. That gave us the right to attack them. Weak or strong markings, it’s still MoonClan’s territory and you should respect our boundaries or you can look forwards to plenty more attacks in the near future.”

Yowls of agreement rose from the mouths of MoonClan and some GorgeClan cats which made Briarstar stand a little taller on the branch. Her threat seemed to work as Boulderstar’s gaze softened and he turned his head back to the crowd. 

“I suppose MoonClan deserves a little praise then.” He commented, unfazed by being proved wrong by the other leader. 

“MoonClan fought well to protect that small scrap of territory you call prime hunting lands. I have no right to judge though as I am used to the moss and river terrain, but I digress. I promise that RainClan will cause no more unreasonable disputes at your borders.” 

The old tom then lowered his voice into hiss, “Unless it's caused by MoonClan first.”

Relieved, Briarstar sighed and dipped her head to the older leader. “As you wish, Boulderstar.”  
Boulderstar held his head a bit higher to say one last thing. “Nightfrost will substitute as deputy until Splashfur is strong enough to resume her duties.”

The black she-cat that sat underneath him lashed her tail and threw a glare at any cat that dared to challenge her short term position. No cat spoke in disagreement and she noticeably relaxed, glancing back up at her leader. Boulderstar then flicked his tail as a signal for Briarstar to speak on the behalf of MoonClan. 

Briarstar stepped up and stared at the cats below her, the nerves boiling inside her belly as if she had eaten rotten prey. “As you all can tell, Hollystar is not present tonight.” She began slowly. 

“It’s because she has passed on to StarClan this past moon. I, Briarstar, have become the new leader of MoonClan and I have chosen Duskcloud as my deputy.”

Another voice yelled out from the clearing before she could continue. “A kittypet leader for a kittypet loving Clan!” 

Briarstar caught a glimpse of the cat speaking and it was Vipertooth from HazeClan. The lilac tortoiseshell she-cat had the reputation for being unreasonable and rash in her opinions about anything that went against traditional Clan rules. Her and the majority of HazeClan were still in that stubborn mindset that Briarstar wished so desperately would change.

It was only coincidence that Briarstar remembered that she and Spiderclaw were sisters as they acted similar but looked nothing alike.

The rest of Vipertooth’s clanmates were sneering in agreement and a low growl rose in the MoonClan leader’s throat at their interruption. Webstar didn’t even scold his own warrior for speaking out of turn at the gathering, but instead, turned his head to glare at the MoonClan leader.

“Yes, Hollystar will be missed by some, but her decisions to invite kittypets and rogues into the Clans won’t be forgotten.” Webstar threatened, his brown eyes cold.

“A kittypet as leader will only destroy what the Forest was created on: Purity, and Hollystar was too stupid to realize that. MoonClan should watch their tails when you tread close to HazeClan because we won’t hesitate to shred your pelts again.” 

His clanmates’ voices rang out from across the clearing voicing their agreement in mass:

“Yeah MoonClan has tainted blood!”

“No kittypet could ever be a real Leader!”

“All of them are savage kittypet filth!”

 

A few MoonClan cats were arching their backs at the HazeClan cats as their harsh comments rose out into the clearing after Webstar’s threat. Swiftclaw was digging his long claws into the dirt, seemingly trying to conceal his temper. Echospirit was sat beside him, rubbing his back with her tail in an attempt to soothe her mate.

Just as Briarstar drew her lips back to snarl out a reply, Springstar placed a gentle paw on the tortoiseshell’s.“Don’t listen to those mousebrains.” She whispered encouragingly. “They are all just being fox-hearts right now.”

Briarstar was warmed by the leader’s words but let her continue in her hushed tone so the others wouldn’t hear. “They hate it when the old traditions are turned over for new, better ones like having kittypets in the Clans. You’ll be such a wonderful leader and I’m sure of it. Hollystar chose right for you to succeed her and MoonClan couldn’t have a better leader.”

Springstar then turned to the crowd and silenced them with a commanding yowl. “Don’t you see what you’re doing?” She demanded with just the hint of a hiss in her soft voice. “StarClan will be angry if you fight at the gathering! Settle down and listen to what Briarstar has to say and keep your disputes in your own territories!” 

All the cats in the clearing quieted down and sat down, their attention turned towards the MoonClan leader. Vipertooth and a few others were still muttering when the GorgeClan leader had finished and sat back for Briarstar to speak again.

Briarstar’s fur laid flat at the other leader’s calming words and nodded to herself. “Two new apprentices have been named in MoonClan, one among us tonight; Sagepaw.” She continued without showing any aggression to the crowd’s outburst. “She will be our next medicine cat.”

The small gray apprentice stood from the crowd and dipped her head as the other Clans, minus HazeClan, chanted her name. The gray she-cat showed no offense when she noticed that the rival Clan wasn’t cheering for her, but instead naturally sat back down beside Cinderfoot, her tail waving calmly. 

Briarstar couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty though as her brother, Finchpaw, was back at camp recovering and wasn’t receiving praise from the Clans. The chanting ended at Briarstar’s abrupt yowl and she continued. “Sadly, our fellow warrior Leaffur died a few sunrises ago from a strange form of Greencough. She will also be dearly missed. That is all MoonClan has to report.”

Briarstar felt slightly winded as she stepped back from speaking and settled on the branch. As she dug her claws into the branch, she thought to herself, ‘That could have been better,’ before angling her ears forward as Webstar began to speak.

“HazeClan remains strong as usual as Leaf-Bare approaches.” The arrogance was heavy in the vicious leader’s voice, causing Briarstar to wrinkle her nose.

“We have three new warriors among us tonight.” He emphasized, glaring at Briarstar from the corner of his eye. “Brackenflight, Cedarwhisker, and Foxface rise from your paws.”

At his recognition, three almost identical reddish-brown cats stood from the crowd and flattened their ears as only their own Clan and RainClan praised them by their new names. 

The MoonClan and GorgeClan cats remained completely silent, most likely remembering what pain HazeClan had caused them to endure in the past like Briarstar was. Many deaths were caused by the claws of the vicious Clan and they wouldn’t forget that anytime soon. 

Webstar had noticed the silence from the other Clans and hissed something under his breath that Briarstar couldn’t make out, before continuing.

“HazeClan has also welcomed one new apprentice; Blackpaw.” The white tom went on, a scornful look on his face. “Get up Blackpaw.”

A black and white tom rose from the crowd and the same reception was brought onto him from the other Clans causing Webstar to finally snap. He unsheathed his long claws into the bark of the tree and yowled out a threat.

“HazeClan’s warriors deserves just as much recognition as you other Clans!” He said, the aggression heavy in his tone causing Briarstar to shrink down a bit. “You think you are all high and mighty but you’re nothing but weak pieces of scrap meat! HazeClan could rule the Clans and shall be respected by all of you, willingly or by force!”

Before he could continue his rant and make things worse, Springstar hastily cut in. “The gathering is a place for peace and truce under StarClan’s will.” She reminded urgently, her fur slightly ruffled showing that she was still afraid of the powerful leader.

“Please don’t do anything irrational, Webstar. Not tonight at least.” Her voice dropped to a squeak as she ended her plead to the HazeClan leader.

‘He and his Clan could rip us all to shreds if he yowled the order!’ Briarstar had thought, her claws digging deeper into the wood. 

“MoonClan is nothing but kittypets, why are you siding with them?” Webstar hissed to Springstar, loud enough for Briarstar to hear. “You know what they’ll do to the Clans!”

The MoonClan leader then spotted Stormblaze. his body in crouching position under the branch, his hackles raised and ready to pounce at the other deputies. He had one eye on his leader, waiting for Webstar’s order to attack. Duskcloud and Runningpelt faced him with equal fur bristling and hissing.

From across the clearing, Briarstar could see that Spiderclaw was spitting threats to the other medicine cats and slinking slowly away into the bushes while Cinderfoot tucked Sagepaw under her, her own fur bristling. 

Rowanheart, out of all cats, stepped in front of the Clan’s apprentices as some of the HazeClan cats inched forward with lashing tails and bristling pelts. He and Clovertail stood side by side and unsheathed their claws, hissing to warn them off. Falconwing crouched behind them, his fur on edge in growing fear at the approaching cats.

Briarstar recalled that a HazeClan cat had killed his mother when he was just a kit. HazeClan had raided GorgeClan’s old camp seasons ago and destroyed their home, forcing them to settle deeper into the gorges. They had shown no mercy when killing some of those innocent cats so Falconwing and the rest of his Clan had been afraid of them ever since.

The RainClan cats remained neutral as the MoonClan and HazeClan cats hissed threats at each other, some cruel form of amusement gleaming in some of their eyes as they watched. Nightfrost, RainClan’s stand-in deputy, had an unsettling smirk on her face, her blue eyes sparkling at the scene.

Holding back a gag, Briarstar glanced at the leaders and saw that Springstar and Webstar were now whispering to each other. She couldn’t make out what they were saying as they were speaking rapidly but soon enough, Springstar nodded to the white tom and turned back to the crowd.

“Please give HazeClan the same amount of praise as if they were you own clanmates.” She pleaded, her voice wavering slightly. 

Briarstar could tell that she was afraid of the scene slowly unfolding before her. The HazeClan cats were notorious of not listening to anything the other leaders said and Briarstar was just as afraid as the GorgeClan leader, bracing herself for the sharp swipe of Webstar’s claws in her pelt. 

“We are all cats under StarClan. We should share nothing but happiness for accomplishments between Clans.” The GorgeClan leader continued with a bit more vigor. “Now, congratulate their cats appropriately for StarClan’s sake. You wouldn't want to make our ancestors upset would you?”

The four HazeClan cats that were called out before stood a little taller as the other Clans stopped their threats and began to praise them properly. Briarstar caught glimpses of a few cats still remaining silent in the crowd, Lionpaw and some of the other apprentices being some of them.

She narrowed her eyes at the discourteous tom but he couldn’t see the warning from on top of the Leader’s Branch so she just looked away, deciding she would punish him properly later.

With a snort, Webstar settled back down, his claws slowly scraping at the branch.

‘He probably wanted to see a fight, the savage.’ Briarstar thought crossly.

Springstar then stood up to speak last, her tail curling behind her back. She had a soft but determined look on her face as she spoke to the Clans, something Briarstar wished she had had. 

The MoonClan leader believed that she herself was too quick to become angry and often blew confrontation out of order. She sat back and listened as Springstar held the attention of the crowd, eager to hear what GorgeClan has been up to.

“GorgeClan has been thriving this moon with plentiful prey roaming the mountains.” The gray she-cat began, effortlessly brushing off the event that almost occurred. “Fluttershine has given birth to a healthy litter of three kits; Stripekit, Thornkit, and Sandkit. We also have two new apprentices: Wolfpaw and Rosepaw please stand up.”

The two new apprentices that sat beside Lionpaw and Flamepaw stood up as directed and beamed under the praise of all the Clans. After all, none of the Clans held disputes with them in particular. Rosepaw, the she-cat, was a darker brown color with a lighter colored chest, while her brother, Wolfpaw, was brown with black splotches.

“Our most Senior warrior, Adderthorn, has passed this past moon due to illness. We have all grieved over him as he had been a great warrior to GorgeClan and served his Clan well for many seasons.” Briarstar felt slight grief flicker inside of her as she remembered the gray tabby tom. 

He had been a well respected warrior, a trustful friend, and a formidable force in battle. Him and Hollystar were made warriors around the same time. Many times, after Hollystar, Hollytail then, returned to camp after gathering, Briarstar overheard her talking about how admirable he was to the other warriors.

“We’ve had to chase off one young wolf that strayed too far away from its den but other than that, Clan life has been normal.” The GorgeClan leader went on, shaking off the dust from her fur. Springstar’s pelt glowed beautifully under the light of the moon which only made Briarstar envy her more than usual. 

GorgeClan had no real rivals with the other Clans as their territory was too far away to fight over. They had plenty of prey and water to keep them happy and since no Clans really tried to battle, they rarely patrolled. 

Furthermore, their territory was too dangerous for any inexperienced or unfamiliar cats to maneuver or it was a suicide trap. Predators such as eagles, bears, and wolves were also major threats that the other Clan’s usually avoided. But that didn’t stop HazeClan from trying, as their ambitious nature sometimes got in the way of common knowledge. 

Briarstar recalled what happened a season before, when a band of a few of their younger warriors got killed in the gorges by a pack of wolves while searching for the new GorgeClan camp to attack. They had accused them for stealing prey and went there without Webstar’s permission.

“That is all from GorgeClan.” Springstar concluded and with the flick of her tail, the GorgeClan cats stood to their paws. They were usually the first Clan to leave the gathering as they had lived the farthest away from the gathering place and had to travel longer to get there and back every moon.

Springstar brushed her tail on Briarstar’s shoulder as a friendly gesture before leaping down to join her retreating clanmates. The tortoiseshell she-cat felt pleased that at least one Clan was on her side as she watched the GorgeClan cats shoot up the tunnel and scramble out of the gathering place. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Briarstar saw Rosepaw and Applepaw whisper something to Lionpaw before scampering after their clanmates. 

‘Apprentices.’ The tortoiseshell thought with the shake of her head. ‘Always gossiping.’

Briarstar leapt off the branch in a hurry and landed lightly on her paws, eager to get away from the other hostile Clans. She wouldn’t be surprised if they planned to attack MoonClan when GorgeClan had left and wasn’t about to take that risk. She rounded up her patrol of cats who were just as eager to get away and headed straight for the tunnel.

Rowanheart had caught up to the leader as she stood at the rear of her patrol. It was a relief to see that her good friend was unaffected by the conflicts at the gathering and was still his happy self as he stood purring next to her.

“You did great up there.” He praised, placing his muzzle on her flank. “I’m surprised that you didn’t try to rip open Boulderstar’s throat when he accused us of attacking without reason.”

Briarstar purred at his praise and licked his ear. “I glad you thought so because I was freaking out on the inside.” She admitted, giving her chest a few licks. “And I would never attack another Clan during the gathering and you know that. It’s against StarClan’s word.”

Rowanheart lifted his head and bumped shoulders with her playfully. “That’s true but it got pretty heated back there. I thought that we were going to fight for sure.” He said. “Well now that it's over, we can go home. Nothing else to worry about for tonight so we should be fine for the time being right?”

Briarstar moved up in line for the tunnel, behind Reedtail, and sighed. “I wish that was true. I keep looking over my shoulder to make sure that HazeClan won’t come for our tails.”

Reedtail shot up the tunnel and now it was just the two of them left. The black and white tom shook his head and glanced over her shoulder. “We should be fine. Like you said, they wouldn’t attack us during a gathering. I think all they’re doing is trying to intimidate us to keep us on edge like the pricks they are.”

Not completely convinced, Briarstar let out another sigh and flicked her tail, directing her clanmate to head up the tunnel. Rowanheart looked at her as if to say ‘This conversation isn’t over’ before climbing up into the tunnel. 

The MoonClan leader took one last look around the clearing and noticed Webstar and Boulderstar whispering to each other while their clanmates underneath them shared tongues together. Briarstar’s pelt prickled uncomfortably at the scene and bolted up into the tunnel. 

‘HazeClan and RainClan must have an alliance!” She thought, anxiously clawing her way up the tunnel. ‘There is no other explanation for that! ’ 

The tortoiseshell she-cat wiggled her way up the passage and soon enough, her thick fur got caught up in the brambles at the top. With a harsh shove, she broke herself free from the thorns and pulled herself onto solid ground. Her clanmates were already sat ahead of her as she shook off her ruffled pelt and padded over to them.

“Let’s try to get back to camp before dawn.” She told Duskcloud once close enough to him. 

Duskcloud hopped to his paws and hurriedly began leading the way back to camp. ‘At least he’s confident at doing something’ The leader had thought rudely before dismissing it. She fell into a run beside Rowanheart who kept sending her quick glances as they ran.

Briarstar then slowed her pace and the tom copied her. She was making him think that they were going to talk as they took the rear of the patrol for privacy. Once far enough away from the patrol, Briarstar began to speak, glancing ahead of her. 

“Look Rowanheart, being leader of MoonClan is a lot of pressure and I can’t just act as if everything will be ok all the time, like an apprentice.” She ranted. “I appreciate your constant humor and positive attitude but you need to realize that you have to grow up sometimes.”

The black and white tom opened his mouth to retort but the leader kept on her speech, paying no attention to him while keeping up her pace. “You should have had a mate and kits by now but no she-cat will have kits with a mousebrain. You are a Senior warrior for StarClan’s sake so start acting like it!” 

By the end of her speech, the leader was somewhat irritated and flicking her tail. When she looked back up, she saw that Rowanheart looked dejected. His ears folded back and his face was formed into a frown. 

“Being funny is in my nature.” He said after a moment of silence. “I like to make you laugh and have been trying to make you happy ever since you lost your mother and Adderkit. You seemed like you needed it then but I guess not anymore. You won’t be bothered by me anymore.”

Briarstar’s chest hurt at his confession and she suddenly felt regretful at her blunt honesty to her friend. She was just being selfish when all he was trying to be is helpful.

As she opened her mouth to apologize, the black and white tom bounded up to catch up with the rest of the patrol. The tortoiseshell felt guilt bloom inside her as she padded slowly through the forest, alone with her thoughts.

‘Now look what you’ve done, mousebrain!’ She scolded herself, with the lash of her tail. ‘Rowanheart is your best friend and he was only trying to help you. Now you’ve screwed that up and he’s mad at you. You keep on this and the whole of MoonClan will have their backs turned and no one will trust you.’

Briarstar angrily swiped at the ground and hissed quietly, sending leaves up into the air. She glanced up and saw that the moon was setting behind the trees, causing a purple-orange sheet to cover the sky.

She picked back up her pace at this and bolted through the forest. The tortoiseshell she-cat eventually caught up with her Clan just as they were arriving at camp and slowed down again once she was behind Echospirit.

Hawkpelt had his pelt fluffed out as the air was cold overnight and stood tall at the entrance of camp. Toadpaw was sleeping opposite of him, his paws tucked under his chest and was breathing evenly. At the front of the patrol, Briarstar spotted the tom get cuffed on his bad ear by Reedtail and hopped to his paws in surprise. 

This action rose a small chuckle out of the leader and she continued on towards the entrance. 

The MoonClan leader had licked her son’s ear, relieving him of his post, then turned to Toadpaw who was staring up at her innocently.

“Morning Briarstar!” He greeted, faking his alertness. “The camp was quiet all night and there were no intruders.” She saw past this act and narrowed her eyes on him. 

“I want you to get some rest and then go out to hunt for the queens at Sunhigh with Reedtail.” She directed, stiffening a yawn herself. Even though he was guilty for falling asleep on duty, Briarstar reckoned it was too early to punish him too harshly. 

The dark brown tabby dipped his head and slumped tiredly down into camp, Briarstar behind him. She watched as her clanmates separated into their respective caves before heading to her own, her paws dragging with exhaustion. 

Entering the cave under HighStone, she immediately went to her nest and settled down, the feathers tickling her nose. The leader laid there contemplating life for a while until sleep finally overtook her unexpectedly. 

...  
She blinked her eyes open moments later and immediately noticed that she wasn’t in the MoonClan camp but in a luscious green field. The air was fresh and warm like Green-Leaf as she took a few steps forward, the grass tickling her paws. Above her were a blanket of stars littering the dark sky, all sparkling happily.

‘I’m in StarClan territory.’ She realized, continuing to pad around the field, this grass tickling her paws.

Her ears flickered back at the sound of prey rustling in the grass and she instinctively dropped down into the hunting crouch. She opened her mouth to taste the air and scented vole. She was careful placing each paw in front of another as she stalked towards the source of the prey. 

Briarstar unsheathed her claws when she became close enough to the target and began to move at a faster pace. With one large pounce, she landed on what she thought was her vole but when she lifted her paw, there was nothing there but grass. 

She snorted in frustration, turned around, and was immediately startled by the presence of a familiar tabby and white she-cat. “Hollystar!” She all but yowled in surprise. 

Hollystar stood behind her, the vole she was previously stalking, hanging in her mouth. The transparent body of her old leader dropped the piece of prey and purred deep in her throat as Briarstar bounded up to greet her.

“Hollystar, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” The tortoiseshell meowed, her eyes glistening with joy. She wished to rub herself against her old leader to feel her soft fur but she stopped herself out of respect.

The old MoonClan leader dipped her head in acknowledgement. “Now there’s no need to miss me Briarstar as I am always with you.” She assured, her voice sounding much younger than it was when she was alive. 

It reminded her of when she was just a kit and Hollystar was a young warrior. “I have visited you in your sleep because I have a message for your Clan.”

Briarstar sat up tall and angled her ears to take in all she had to tell her. “Cinderfoot may have already mentioned this to you but I must reiterate the message. A time of war is coming within the Clans. Blood must be shed only for the light to shine again.”

Briarstar bowed her head, anxiety prickling her pelt once more at the mention of the violent message that her medicine cat delivered. “Is this war soon because MoonClan is still recovering and I’m not sure if my warriors can handle another battle?” She demanded but Hollystar continued as if she didn’t hear her.

“MoonClan is one of the strongest Clans created. I’m sure you’ll lead them into success one way or another.” The StarClan cat replied, slowly fading away.

The tortoiseshell she-cat sprang to her paws and yowled out, “Wait, you didn’t answer my question! MoonClan can’t do this on their own without StarClan’s help!”

The last thing she saw was the blurry body of Hollystar giving her a look that held the words ‘I trust you,’ before she was jolted awake in her nest, back in MoonClan, the next day.


	8. Chapter 7

Flamepaw, now known as Flameheart, sat tall in front of the MoonClan camp’s entrance, the next night. His orange fur was drenched to the point that it turned the color red as the sky opened up and rain poured down on him. Briarstar couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as the newly named warrior stood unflinching during his vigil as the rain beat down on him. 

She could see that he was slightly shivering as it was a cold night, but she couldn’t do anything to help him as that would be breaking the tradition of vigil that every new warrior had to do on the night of their naming ceremony.

It was just past Moonhigh and the camp was quiet other than the sound of the rain steadily treading down into the camp’s clearing. At Briarstar’s request, Duskcloud had been sent out to lead the last patrol of the night, so the leader felt safe as she laid at the mouth of her cave, watching as the water slide down from the top of HighStone to her paws. 

She continued to watch Flameheart over the course of the night and into the early mist of the morning. The rain had let up to a drizzle but the winds picked up a bit, causing the leader to shiver. Duskcloud and his patrol consisting of Reedtail, Bramblefall, and Petalpool appeared at the camp’s entrance as more gray clouds rolled over in the dawn sky, their pelts matching Flameheart’s in the dampness factor. 

The deputy nodded briefly to the orange warrior before sliding down into camp. He padded over to the HighStone as his patrol dispersed behind him, his black pelt plastered to his body.  
Briarstar greeted him with a small nod and sat up, flicking her tail for him to speak.

“We saw nothing unusual at the HazeClan border, only a few fresh scent marks that will probably wash away with this rain.” The black tom reported, wiping a paw across his wet face to smoothen out the fur there. “RainClan’s scents were a bit stronger at their border, but they haven’t crossed into our territory, yet.”

Briarstar sighed in relief and brushed her tail across her deputy’s chest. “Good, now you go rest.” She ordered as if she were speaking to a kit. 

“Tell the rest of your patrol to take it easy until Sunhigh since you’ve traveled all night. We’ll need more hunting patrols out by then and no one strong enough should be left without something to do, understood?”

Duskcloud briskly nodded and turned to pad away to the warrior’s cave. Briarstar then stood up and made her way over to Flameheart. Up close, she could see that he was wetter than she had thought, his ribs poking out from his slicked down pelt. 

He hadn’t noticed that the leader had jumped up behind him until she meowed out, “Good morning,” which made him jump, almost slipping down into the clearing. The tortoiseshell she-cat chuckled at the young warrior’s surprise and purred.

“Looks like someone’s a little jumpy today.” She joked, brushing her tail briefly across his wet flank. “How was last night for you?”

Flameheart gave his chest a few embarrassed licks and opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak but closed it again. “Go on, your vigil has ended.” The leader urged, stepping in front of him. 

The new warrior let out a long yawn. “A bit too wet for me, I’d say.” He replied jokingly before shaking out his soaking pelt, a few water droplets spraying Briarstar in the face. The leader let out a small hiss and jumped away from him, licking her fur rapidly. 

“Oh sorry, Briarstar!” He apologised, his green eyes wide. 

The MoonClan leader snorted and then purred when she saw the tom ducking his head in shame. She playfully cuffed his ear. “Watch where you’re aiming your sprays!” She said, laughter sparkling in her eyes. “Not all of us want to be soaked.”

Flameheart instantly nodded. “I really didn’t mean to spray you.” Briarstar licked the top of his head and gave him a gentle nudge when he looked back up. 

“Oh it’s alright. Go and get some sleep.” She directed quietly. “I want you to lead a hunting patrol at Sunhigh.”

The orange tom beamed with happiness at the mention of his first patrol as a warrior and slid down to the clearing, skipped his way to the apprentice cave. He immediately realized his mistake though and before the leader could direct him any further, he padded hesitantly to the warriors cave. 

Briarstar hopped down herself and thought of visiting Finchpaw in the medicine cat cave when she heard more rustling at the top of the camp’s entrance. Instead of confronting whatever was there, the leader dashed for cover in one of the overgrown bushes that sprouted in the dirt near a small opening in the camp wall that led to the dirt area. 

The dark brown body of Toadpaw appeared at the camp’s entrance, his mouth stuffed suspiciously with prey and his pelt unusually dry except for his paws. She watched as the tom jumped down, carrying his prey to the fresh-kill-pile, and depositing the kills neatly on top. He shook out his pelt and began grooming himself with a paw, swiping it over his bad ear. 

‘I don’t believe he was supposed to be out for patrol.’ The leader recalled, her fur fluffing in mild annoyance. ‘What is he up to?’

Briarstar wanted to burst out and confront him for his disappearances in the night but she couldn’t because she had no proof that he was doing anything wrong. There was nothing in the warrior code that said anything against anyone hunting alone, rather it encouraged that behavior as it often came with more prey for the Clan. 

‘I just hope hunting is all he’s doing.’ She thought, her fur lying flat again. 

The MoonClan leader stood up from her hiding spot and broke through the bush, pieces of her fur getting left behind on the thorns. She calmly made her way up to the apprentice and stood in front of him, causing him to stop grooming himself. 

“Out hunting alone again?” She inquired, pointing at the fresh-kill-pile with her tail. “Looks like you’ve had more luck than others.”

Toadpaw sat up straighter when noticing his leader, and nodded his head. “Yep! MoonClan needs more prey now more than ever.” He replied confidently. “We need to be strong to prepare for Leaf-Bare right?”

Briarstar agreed. “You have the right idea, Toadpaw. But we can’t risk young apprentices like you getting hurt while out in the Mountains alone especially with the threat of HazeClan and RainClan lurking.” The leader told him seriously.

She just wanted the best for the young tom and didn’t want to see him get hurt hunting late at night. MoonClan has lost enough cats this past season so she was looking out for everyone to help rebuild her Clan.

“So, for now on, until the threat of battle passes, you and any of the other apprentices are not allowed to leave camp unless accompanied by a warrior. Is this understood?”

The MoonClan leader swore she saw a flicker of anger flash across his face before it was back to his normal calm gaze. She pushed that brief look to the back of her mind as the tom bowed to her.

“Yes Briarstar.” He said almost dejectedly. “I’ll tell Lionpaw too.”

With that, the dark brown tabby scuffled his way to the apprentice cave, his tail dragging in the wet dirt behind him. Briarstar ears flickered to the sound of the rumbling of thunder in the sky. She twitched her whiskers irritably and turned to rush back inside the warmth of her cave.

‘Great, we won’t get anything done with this storm.’ She groaned internally, reaching her nest. 

She laid down, crossed her paws, and placed her head on them as the thunder grew louder outside. The storm started up again moments later and kept on all throughout the day, preventing the leader from doing much but lay in her cave. 

 

...  
The smell of the damp leaves flurrying outside caused the leader to scrunch her nose and scuffle deeper in her nest to escape the wetness. Another boom of thunder clapped from outside and Briarstar flattened her ears tightly to her head, squeezing her eyes shut with them.

Some time had passed before the smell of fresh kill wafted inside her cave. She glanced up and recognized the soaking wet body of Rowanheart standing at the mouth of the cave, a shrew in his mouth. He glanced nervously at her as he stood there, breathing through his nose for a few seconds before the leader waved him in from the rain. A small purr rose in her throat as the tom laid down across from her and passed over the shrew. He lowered his head in respect and spoke when she began to tear into the prey.

“I know you're mad at me right now but I needed to see you eat something today before I go out for patrols.” The black and white tom whispered tentatively. 

“Also, I’ll promise to be more realistic when discussing Clan topics with you. No more jokes, just serious Clan talk from now on. If that's all it takes for you to be my friend again, then I can try my best to be that for you.”

Briarstar felt her heart ache as the tom was willingness to change his entire personality for her. She really didn't deserve him as a friend. She had been selfish with her emotions and that did nothing but hurt the both of them. The she-cat stopped eating to shake her head slowly.

“No Rowanheart, I was wrong when I said those things.” She replied, shamefully. “I’ve been nothing but ungrateful to your kindness and selfishly blamed my attitude on you. I’m really sorry for making you think that this was your fault. I’m just a bit stressed right now and lashed out on you when you were trying to be helpful.”

She pushed her head under his chin in an attempt to win him over. “You can continue being you normal silly self around me if that’s what you want and I’ll just have to get over myself and enjoy it for once.”

The black and white tom looked surprised at her response which made the she-cat feel doubtful. “I understand if you don’t forgive me. I was a real thorn in your pelt and don’t deserve your forgiveness.” She added after his lack of response, pulling away.

Rowanheart continued to stare blankly at her for another moment before a loud purr overtook him. He leaned down and covered the she-cat’s face with licks and nuzzles, his purr still rumbling like the distant thunder outside. Briarstar took this as forgiveness and accepted his comforting licks.

After the brief grooming session ended, the tom stepped away from her and nudged the rest of the shrew towards her nest. “I’ll let you finish this, I believe Duskcloud wanted me to go hunting at Sunhigh.” He told her. 

He gently gave her one last lick on the cheek before backing out of the cave, padding back out into the rain.

Briarstar stared longingly at his retreating shape as he disappeared back into the clearing and sighed. ‘I really don’t deserve his friendship.’ She thought, going back to devouring her shrew. ‘He’s too nice and I’m far too rude to him. I need to try to be a better friend as well as leader as it will only help me. StarClan knows I need all the help I can get now.’

...  
The rain let up again as the sky began to grow darker, later that day. Briarstar winced as she stretched out her muscles, her bones popping from lack of exercise all day. The tortoiseshell she-cat shook out her slept-on pelt and emerged from the cave. She glanced around as she stepped into the clearing and saw that the sky was still covered in dark gray clouds meaning the rain wasn’t finished just yet. 

Rainwhisker’s three kits bounded across the damp clearing and almost ran into the leader as she was heading for the medicine cat cave. Volekit and Berrykit, mud-soaked, held balls of moss in their mouths while their smaller sister, Bluekit, pranced behind them, her pretty gray pelt freshly groomed from any mud.

“Hey kits, what are doing with all that moss?” The leader questioned, amusement flashing in her eyes. “Playing a new game I presume?”

Bluekit snorted glancing at her muddy brothers before looking up at the leader. “Nope, they are bringing bedding to the Senior warriors.” She replied, daintily swishing her tail to the side. “I’m supervising them.”

Briarstar chuckled at her. “Really now? And where did you get this moss from?”

Volekit dropped his moss and cut in front of his sister, mud dripping from his pelt. “Lionpaw told us to gather the moss around the stream.” He told her, shaking some of the mud from his fur. “That’s where most of the freshest moss grows right?”

Ignoring the disgusted shriek from Bluekit, Briarstar narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Lionpaw let you out of camp by yourselves?” She demanded with a hiss.

Volekit winced at her change in tone and flattened his ears. “Yes Briarstar.” He squeaked out in fear. “He said it was to help us become apprentices faster.”

Briarstar shook her head and paced around the kits angrily. “What else did he tell you?”

Berrykit mumbled around his mouth of moss and gave himself a quick shake. “Lionpaw told us that Rainwhisker would appreciate this moss as it’s getting colder and wetter outside. He took us down to the stream but once we gathered all the moss we could, he ran off saying he had something else to do.”

Volekit jumped in with. “But that was okay because we knew our way back. I left scent marks!”

The leader growled as the information that the kits were presenting to her and let out a slow breath. She blinked back the rage and gazed calmly back at the kits. “Do you have any idea where he is now?” She questioned, tilting her head.

All three kits shook their heads at her question and continued on their quest to bring the moss to the warriors cave, Bluekit groaning about her dirty fur. 

Briarstar rose her tail halfway to stop them but then stopped herself to turn towards the camp entrance. It wasn’t the kits fault as they were taught to listen to the older cats’ orders as they were only doing what they were taught, so Briarstar couldn’t punish them. Luckily, none of them seemed injured so that relieved her a bit. 

The tortoiseshell she-cat shook out her pelt before stomping towards the camp entrance. She would find the golden apprentice and have his tail in a knot when she found him.

 

…  
The Forest in the Mountains was gloomy gray like stone as the MoonClan leader trudged through it, her paws up to her shoulders splashed with mud. Water dripped down from the remaining leaves that clung bravely to the tall pines that sprouted up around her. 

The wet leaves that covered the ground smushed under the weight of her hard paws as she ran through them. She was finding it difficult to track the apprentice through their territory as the rain washed away any trace of him or anyone that may have passed through. 

The leader took a wrong step as she was running and with a surprised yowl, she slid down some rocks into a pool of mud. Briarstar groaned once she had got her footing and reached out with her claws to catch a branch to pull herself out. As got herself out of the mud, a small wisp of wind blew across her nose and a flicker of hope burned through her.

The she-cat caught the faint scent of Lionpaw coming from towards the GorgeClan border. ‘What in the name of StarClan is he doing this far away from camp?’ She pondered. ‘There’s no prey over there this time of the year and he knows that.’

The leader picked up her pace at this realization and began to sprint through the forest, pausing only to leap over stones and fallen trees. Briarstar hissed to herself as she stepped on a thorn and hopped to a stop. She lifted her muddy paw to her muzzle and sniffed at the thorn that was lodged in her pad.

“Mousedung,” She hissed before gripping the thorn with her teeth.

Closing her eyes, the tortoiseshell ripped the small thorn from her paw and spit it out. Briarstar proceeded to lick her paw with long strokes, wincing at the sour taste of her own blood that was welling out of the cut. She tentatively placed her paw on the wet ground again once it was thoroughly cleaned, hissing as she put pressure on it. 

After a few more attempts, the she-cat was able to stand alright on the paw again.

Briarstar let out a breath of relief and opened her eyes.The sky was painted a dusky gray giving the land an ominous look. She could make out the jagged line of rocky terrain that led down to the border of GorgeClan and MoonClan, its rocks covered with bits of green moss. 

A few bushes protruded from the rocky hills, producing a supply of berries for the Clan’s medicine cats to use. Far off in the misty distance, she could make out the gorges that sunk deep into the ground which gave GorgeClan their name for their territory as they had settled there. She recalled that their camp was just a large cave in the wall of one of the gorges, and it was well hidden from everything.

As Briarstar neared the border, she spotted two small mounds of fur laying unmoving at the bottom of a cleft, near the edge of a gorge. Forgetting the pain in her paw, Briarstar sprang to her paws and raced across the land, careful around the sharp drop-offs, and climbed her way down to the border. Her chest burned in exhaustion as she finally reached the bottom and rushed over to the mounds of fur. 

At closer inspection she could see that the mounds of fur were cats and one of which was the cat she was looking for. Lionpaw had his paw wrapped around a black and brown cat’s flank as if he was protecting them. Briarstar helt no sympathy in her tone when she unsheathed her claws and yowled at both of them.

“What do you think you are doing?”

Lionpaw jumped to his paws first, his golden pelt fluffed up in defense and let out a frightened squeal. His eyes were wide with fear and the leader could only imagine what her appearance was to him at that moment that made him so afraid. She must have looked like a wolf to scare the fur off his pelt like that. 

The black and brown cat beside him stood slower and Briarstar recognized them as Applepaw, from GorgeClan. The she-cat’s yellow eyes matched the other apprentice’s as she ducked behind Lionpaw when Briarstar stepped closer to them.

“What do you think you are doing?” She repeated, biting each word out. “First, you blow off your training with Hawkpelt, and now you are sleeping at the border with a cat from a rival Clan! Lionpaw, you have a lot of explaining to do this instant!”

The golden apprentice relaxed as he recognized his own leader’s voice under the ungroomed muddy fur and turned to lick Applepaw’s muzzle. “I know you are mad at me Briarstar, but Applepaw and I wanted to meet peacefully, without all the other Clans watching us all the time.” He admitted, not breaking his gaze from his leader’s. 

“We weren’t doing anything wrong. It just makes no sense that we can’t have friends with our alliances and meet peacefully on the borders without a fight, don’t you think?”

The feeling of questioning entered the leader’s mind at his statement. It really didn’t make sense that the Clans couldn’t live in peace with each other and have trustful friends. But that was the way it had always been. Rivalries made the Clans stronger together, more fierce towards the other Clan, and more loyal to each other.

Briarstar shook her head at the two apprentices and bared her teeth. “Lionpaw, you have no idea what you are talking about.” She dismissed, growing with anger. “This is your last warning with your foolishness. You have been neglecting your training because of these mouse-brained ideas and sneaking around with this GorgeClan cat for who knows how long!” 

The leader paused to catch her breath and noticed that Lionpaw was just sitting there, taking her harsh words and deflecting them like he wasn’t hearing. He was nuzzling Applepaw and not even paying attention to the leader. 

Briarstar hissed loudly in frustration and lashed her tail. “You are coming back to camp with me this instance! We will discuss this further with your parents.” 

She then turned to Applepaw who was shaking behind him in fear. “And you,” She hissed. “Run along, back to your own Clan. I’ll have some words with Springstar about you and Lionpaw’s code breaking, soon. That’s a promise.”

Applepaw dipped her head to the MoonClan cats and without a word, ran off towards the gorges in her territory, her pelt still bristling as she disappeared into the mist.

Briarstar glanced back at her grandson as he snorted at her and began climbing back to MoonClan territory. His paws moved expertly as if he had traveled this path many times as he sprang up the craggy hill back into the forest, Briarstar at his heels.

 

...  
The moon was barely rising in the violet sky when they both made it back to the MoonClan camp, Briarstar panting from exhaustion from the journey. Once they had entered the clearing, Lionpaw attempted to make a break for the fresh kill pile but the leader rounded on him.

“You are not allowed any food for the rest of the night.” She hissed with the lash of her tail. “I can smell you’ve had enough while with that GorgeClan cat.”

A deep growl threatened to escape the tom’s throat at her assumption, but the leader narrowed her eyes on him preventing it from coming out. Anything the leader said was typically obeyed and seen as law by all of the Clan but some cats, such as Lionpaw, seemed to only listen when they wanted to.

He needed to be disciplined on the warrior code in Briarstar’s opinion and she would be the one to do it if his mentor didn’t have the courage to.

Speaking of his mentor, the brown and white body of Hawkpelt emerged from the warrior’s cave, scraps of nettles and moss clinging to his pelt as he tiredly padded along. He perked up when he spotted Briarstar and bounded over to them. His eyes narrowed accusingly at his apprentice as the younger tom sat grumbling to himself, then glanced seriously at the leader.

“Where have you two been?” He demanded, worry brimming in his eyes. “The whole Clan was worried for you. We were just about to send out a search party and everything.” 

He glanced down at his mother’s pelt and noticed that she was caked up with mud to her shoulders and the rest of her pelt was sticking up in every direction. Briarstar brought his attention to the golden apprentice that was ripping up the ground beside her and whipped her tail across his back. 

“Tell him what you did.” She ordered with a growl. "Now."

She had just about lost her patience with the young tom and it was showing with her aggressive nature emerging. Lionpaw looked as if he wanted to bare his teeth and snap at the leader but instead he spoke roughly as if he was tired from the journey too. 

“I went to the GorgeClan border to talk with a friend.” He muttered, not meeting his father’s gaze. 

Hawkpelt eyes widened and his mouth gaped open about to speak, but his son cut him off. “We weren't doing anything wrong, Hawkpelt.” He tried to defend himself. “We just wanted to talk without all the Clans breathing down our backs like at the gathering. I don’t see what the big deal is. I mean it's not like we were planning something-”

The tabby warrior held up his tail as if he had heard enough. Briarstar could see that her son was on the same level as her in the anger factor as seen by his muscles tensing and his claws unsheathing into the dirt.

“I send you out to gather moss and bedding today and then meet me here to train, and instead you broke the warrior code to meet with a cat from a rival Clan?” The tabby tom demanded even though he had already knew the answer. 

Lionpaw shrugged nonchalantly and went to speak again, but Briarstar cut in. “He apparently sent Rainwhisker’s kits out on their own, into the rain, to the stream to gather the moss for him.” She glared at him for further explanation. 

The golden apprentice had nothing to say about that and just sat there, his fur bristling in internal anger. Hawkpelt looked furious as his tail lashed out behind him and his neck fur rose. He closed his eyes and glanced away from his son to his mother. 

“What are we going to do with him?” The tabby sighed, his anger diminishing into hollow perplexity. 

Hawkpelt sheathed his claws and shook his head. “He won’t listen to anything we tell him unless it’s benefiting him somehow.”

He then lowered his tone to a whisper. “That’s no way any future warrior should act and he needs to learn to keep in his place before something really bad happens to him.” 

Briarstar was conflicted at this. She looked between the two toms for a moment, attempting to determine a punishment that won’t harm the both of them overall. She couldn’t delay his training because MoonClan was in need of more warriors, but going without punishment would only encourage Lionpaw to keep acting up.

“I want someone always watching him.” She decided, sitting down beside Hawkpelt. “Just until we can trust him again.”

She wrapped her tail around her son’s back to soothe him and continued. 

“He should have an escort every time he leaves camp, even if it’s to make dirt. Training will continue as normal with Toadpaw and Reedtail, and as soon as Finchpaw heals, he’ll join you with Amberstone. I’ve already set a new rule for all apprentices to not leave camp unless they have a warrior with them so this shouldn’t be a huge problem.”

She stared straight at the apprentice at her next statement. “Also, no gatherings for you for the next few moons. I don’t want you having any type of contact with any GorgeClan cat until you’ve learned some discipline.”

Lionpaw eyes flashed with anger at that, but as he made a noise of protest, Hawkpelt swiped an unsheathed claw across his ear, effectively knocking the retort away from him. “Don’t you dare go against your leader’s order.” He hissed. "The word of your leader is law and should be followed just like the warrior code."

Blood gushed up and rolled out of the new scratch, dripping onto the wet ground. The apprentice glared down at his paws. “Fine.” The golden tom grumbled quietly.

Briarstar didn’t scold Hawkpelt for the injury he caused as it seemed to scare Lionpaw into submission for now. ‘Maybe that’s the way he needs to be disciplined, with scare tactics,’ The leader mused, glancing at the golden apprentice’s bleeding ear. It was nothing more than a nick but it made the young tom listen.

She then shook her head. ‘No, no, that’s how rouges train, not Clan cats. We’ll have to teach him with other ways.’

The MoonClan leader rose to her paws and nodded to her son. “Make sure he stays in the apprentice cave tonight and is given no food until dawn.” She ordered. “I will be taking him out for hunting practice tomorrow if that's alright with you.”

Hawkpelt dipped his head with no argument and then proceeded to push his son towards the apprentice cave, the golden tom not opposing him. 

“Meet me at dawn at the camp entrance.” She called to Lionpaw and he just flicked his tail, showing that he had understood. 

Once they were both inside the cave, Briarstar turned and padded over to the fresh kill pile. Her stomach yearned for something to fill it as she hadn’t had anything since Rowanheart’s shrew, which seemed like seasons ago.

The long journey to the GorgeClan border really took a toll on her and she realized she wasn’t as young and agile as she had used to be. If she wasn’t a leader, she knew she would surely be joining the Senior warriors by now, enjoying the simple life of lounging away without any immediate responsibilities to worry about. Briarstar shook away that thought as she sat down and plucked a small, wet, dove from the pile. 

After stripping the bird free from its feathers, the leader tore into the wet meat and swallowed it down quickly as if it was her last meal. She demolished her bird in a few mouthfuls and when finished, she let out a burp.

“Excuse you.” Came a voice from behind her. 

Briarstar spun around and caught glance of Sunstripe padding up to her. The golden striped she-cat approached the pile and dug out a mouse for herself. The leader assumed she was just returning from the border patrol as her paws were notable soaked with mud. That didn’t stop her from clawing into her meal with vigor though.

The leader slouched back lazily and stretched out her claws absentmindedly through the air. She rolled on her back and stretched out her legs above her, attempting to relax. “So, not to disturb you, but what’s this I’m hearing about my son is being a hassle with his training?” The striped she-cat asked while the leader was laying back.

Briarstar’s whiskers twitched irritably at the reminder of her grandson’s behavior and she sat up. “Lionpaw broke the warrior code by sneaking around with a rival Clan cat on our borders.” She stated calmly.

Sunstripe looked at the leader with disbelief shown on her face. “My son would never do such a thing!” She denied, her neck fur bristling in fierce disbelief and protectiveness over her only kit. “He’s too loyal to MoonClan to break the warrior code purposely. I’m sure he may have just crossed the border by mistake or something, and that cat was just there to confront him.”

The MoonClan leader let out a long sigh at the other she-cat’s excuses and rolled back on her side. “Look Sunstripe, just ask Hawkpelt or even Lionpaw himself if you want the proof.” She retorted lazily.

“I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you about your son’s deliberate code breaking. I’ve traveled too far today and need time to rest before I confront you properly.” Briarstar knew she sounded pathetic and weak when she told the she-cat that, but it was the honest truth.

Sunstripe looked conflicted for a moment as she glanced between her leader and the apprentice cave before she internally made up her mind and padded away presumingly to confront her son. Briarstar let out a sigh of relief as she was finally left alone again and closed her eyes letting sleep come over her.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the delay I got busy at school but here's a new chapter! BTW I haven't reread this chapter at the time of posting this so excuse the grammar mistakes! I will go through this once I have more time. Enjoy!

It was Moonhigh when the MoonClan leader awoke again, lying in the center of the clearing beside the fresh kill pile. She blinked her eyes open slowly and let out a long yawn. The moon sat in the middle of the black sky, poking out it’s crescent shape from the gray wispy clouds. The camp was quiet and the MoonClan cats were either resting or on the evening patrol. Briarstar rolled to her paws and stood up, her bones popping achingly. 

‘GorgeClan is so much farther away than I remembered.’ She thought, rolling her wrists until they had popped as well. 

It was true that the border to the rival Clan was much farther than the other Clans were to them. MoonClan rarely even bothered to patrol around there as there wasn’t much prey and the trek to and from was too far for them to even care.

‘Might as well go and see Cinderfoot before she has a fit over me.’ She decided.

The tortoiseshell she-cat shook out her mud covered pelt as a cold wind came over her and began padding over to the medicine cat cave. Briarstar pushed her way through the vine screen and made her way down path in the cave. She could make out the brown speckled body of the medicine cat illuminated by the moonlight from outside.

Cinderfoot was standing in front of Sagepaw, a row of herbs spread out around them. She grabbed a purple plant from the the far end of the row and beckoned the younger cat closer with her tail to examine it. “Now can you tell me what this is?” The medicine cat asked gently. 

Briarstar watched as the gray apprentice stared intuitively at the purple plant for a few heartbeats before answering confidently with, “Mallow plant.” 

Cinderfoot smiled and waved her tail encouragingly. “And what does Mallow do?”

“It’s used to fight infection from the inside out.” The apprentice recited with more vigor.

The medicine cat looked pleased at her answer and nodded her head. “Good job, now go and give that to your brother with a piece of fresh kill.” She instructed happily. “Your mother moved him inside the queens cave so someone could keep an eye on him while he recovers. And make sure he eats all of it!”

With that, the young she-cat bounded out of the cave with the purple plant firmly in her jaws.  
Briarstar stepped aside and made her way further inside the cave. Cinderfoot glanced up from pushing the herbs back inside their respective holes in the wall and narrowed her blue eyes on the leader.

“I can see you had an adventure today, in the rain.” The medicine cat sounded partially annoyed as she addressed the leader.

Cinderfoot padded around her and grimaced in disgust at the other she-cat’s state. She was covered in mud and had random leaves and twigs sticking out from her long matted pelt.

“You know you’re not as young as you used to be, Briarstar. Why would you do a mouse-brained thing like that when I told you specifically to rest?” Cinderfoot continued, grabbing some more herbs to organize.

Briarstar sighed out loud and flicked her tail irritability out behind her. She proceeded to tell her about Lionpaw, his behavioral problems, and him sneaking away to meet with Applepaw. Cinderfoot seemed unsurprised at the news as she calmly pushed another bundle of herbs back inside her store. When Briarstar had finished her explaination, the medicine cat placed the last herb in the hole as gazed at the leader seriously.

“Look Briarstar, Lionpaw is still young and has a long path ahead of him as he grows older. It’s our job to steer him on the correct path as best as we can. Now if he still chooses to make the wrong decisions, then we’ll have to let him and just see where he goes.”

Briarstar narrowed her eyes. “So you’re saying that if he breaks the warrior code, we are just to sit back and let it happen?” She demanded, sounding unconvinced. “That’s a terrible plan Cinderfoot!” 

Cinderfoot purred and shook her head, removing her gaze the other she-cat’s. She sat down and drew a paw over her ears. “No, that’s not what I am saying.” She continued, placing her paw back on the ground. 

“Lionpaw needs our guidance now, while he’s still young and naive. When he is older and knows his responsibilities as a warrior, and he still chooses to disobey the warrior code, then you can make the decision to send him into exile or let him leave himself, if it comes to that. We won’t stand for that behavior once he’s been taught the correct way to act.”

Her words sunk in harshly like claws scraping through the leader’s pelt.

Briarstar tried to think rationally about this. ‘I couldn’t send my only grandson into exile could I? What will his parents think? Or the Clan? I can’t send away a potential warrior just because he acts like a mousebrain sometimes.’ She internally panicked. 

The leader took a few calming breaths and cleared her head. ‘Well, if the time comes and he still chooses to disobey me, then I may have to, for the best of MoonClan.’ Briarstar glanced back up at the medicine cat who had began to cut some stems off of plants. 

“Thanks for the advice Cinderfoot.” She meowed, brushing her head on the medicine cat’s shoulder. “I may take it into consideration for Lionpaw as he grows older, but it’s ultimately up to him if he wants to leave or not. I’ll let him make the decision when the time comes.”

The brown speckled she-cat dipped her head in acceptance and her eyes flickered in satisfaction. Briarstar turned to exit the cave but the medicine cat side-stepped her. “Now before you go, I want to give you strengthening herbs.” She told her and the tortoiseshell she-cat rolled her eyes. “GorgeClan is far away and I know your bones are not as strong as you seem to think they are.”

Cinderfoot leaned down and plucked out a tall yellow plant that Briarstar knew all too well from her stash.

“Goldenrod.” She sighed as the medicine cat tapped her muzzle with her tail. She held a small smile on her face, sensing the leader’s dread at the sour tasting herb, and made a noise to encourage her to open her jaws.

The leader opened her mouth at the gesture and she placed the plant into her mouth to chew it into a poultice. Once it was chewed thoroughly, Briarstar swallowed it with a grimace. Cinderfoot purred at her cooperation and then passed her two poppy seeds.

“Now I want you to go groom yourself and then actually go and rest for the night.” The medicine cat ordered with a slight laugh. “I'm sure you’ll need that energy when training with him tomorrow.”

…  
The next morning was still gray and misty from the aftermath of the rain, giving the forest a gloomy look. Mushy, rain-ridden leaves brushed against her belly fur as she slithered on the forest floor. The air was stuffy and Briarstar’s vision was blurred slightly as she slowly moved through the undergrowth of the forest. Lionpaw was some ways ahead of her, trying to seek out any prey in the dense fog. She could hear him shuffling loudly in the leaves which was most likely scaring away any potential prey in the area. 

Briarstar stood up from her stalking and squinted to spot the young tom about a fox-length or so away from her. His long golden tail stood straight up from the ground as he stalked through the undergrowth which any prey smart enough would spot instantly.

The two cats were hunting near the HazeClan border in hopes of finding anything to bring back to camp. With the rainy weather though, the prey would be likely to be hiding in their holes to keep warm. The leader knew that the threat of the rival Clan was still high but the dawn hunting patrol took the RainClan border to hunt and she didn’t want to disturb them.

Briarstar sighed as she heard the tom hiss out loud and he began hopping around on his paws. She shook her head a padded up to him. His body became more visible as she came closer and the fog parted to where he was limping around. 

“What is it?” She asked, mostly unconcerned.

Lionpaw immediately held out his front paw which revealed a prickly thorn in his pad. “Can you get it out please?” He pleaded, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. “It hurts!”

Holding back the eyeroll, the tortoiseshell she-cat examined his paw for a moment. She could assumed that the thorn was thick since Lionpaw’s paws, as were the rest of his Clan’s, were tough from generations of climbing up the mountainous terrain. 

She fixed her teeth around the thorn and then carefully twisted and yanked the piece of wood from the apprentice’s paw.He squeaked out in pain and began licking his paw rapidly, whimpering ever so slightly at every rough rasp of his tongue on the cut.

His actions made Briarstar think back to what Cinderfoot had said the night before, that the tom was still young and naive. He couldn’t even rip a thorn from his paw, let alone make decisions like leave the Clan! She gently brushed her tail on his shoulder. 

“Once you can walk again, I want you to practice your crouching and stalking.” She instructed. “You are still a bit too loud in your movements and your tail needs to be down so the prey can’t see you coming.”

Lionpaw placed his paw back on the ground and shook out his semi long pelt that was moist from the morning mist. “Fine, whatever.” He replied, crouching down in front of her.

Briarstar held in the retort that she wanted to spew and let out a slow breath. She padded around him, making adjustments to his stance with her nose and tail before she stood back and marveled at the correct hunter’s crouch she had put him in. 

“This is how you are supposed to be every time you stalk prey on the ground.” She said. “Keep yourself low to the ground and steady yourself with your tail angled out behind you. When stalking, try not to drag yourself and-”

“I know all of this already!” The golden tom spat impatiently, cutting the leader off. 

He jumped to his paws and spun around. “Let me hunt how I want to hunt and I‘ll bring back the best catch in the whole forest. Just you watch!” With that, the tom took off in the direction of the border, sending leaves up in the air in his path. 

It took a moment for her to realize that the tom had left her behind, but once she did, Briarstar hissed out in frustration and darted after him. She weaved through the foggy forest, his fresh and determined scent trail leading her the way to the stubborn apprentice all the while her muscles screamed at her for moving so quickly. 

Low branches that connected to an old tree gave the leader a bit of leverage as she scouted to find the golden tom. She leapt and hooked her claws into the dead bark to scramble up onto a branch. Once she was ontop of the branch and steady on her paws, she whipped her head around to search for the apprentice.

Soon enough, she spotted his distinctive golden pelt from a distance, darting through the trees in the fog. With further observation, she saw that he was charging straight towards the cliff that lead down to the stream, which was the HazeClan border as well.

‘He surely knows that there’s a cliff there.’ The leader thought optimistically. ‘He’s been this way countless times with Hawkpelt, and on patrols-’

Briarstar gazed up at the muggy sky. ‘Oh StarClan please tell me he knows there’s a cliff!’

But as the apprentice closed in on, assumingly, some prey near the edge, she lost what was left of her hope and leapt down from the tree to chase after him.

“Lionpaw wait!” She called, swerving around a rock that jutted out from the ground. “CLIFF!”

The leader couldn’t really see him through the fog but she heard his heavy pawsteps continuing towards the ledge, her warning disappearing in the mist. She caught glimpse of his golden pelt as he was stalking a finch, not showing a single sign that he had heard her warning when he busted through the undergrowth and lunged out over the edge.

Briarstar heard him yowl out as he tumbled down the cliff and she immediately leapt after him. Her fall was silent as her body hurdled to the ground because she had known the drop all too well. She also knew that the drop could easily kill a cat that put their paw in the wrong direction which is the reason why she was so concerned for the tom. 

The leader landed heavily in a pile of wet moss and groaned as she rose to stand, her chest burning for air after the chase. She took a few deep gulps of air and shook out her tortoiseshell pelt, flicking moss in every direction before looking around for the wayward apprentice.

Briarstar spotted Lionpaw a few heartbeats later, lying a few fox-lengths away, his body covered in moss. She rushed over to the young tom, her heart heavy with concern. She placed her paw on his chest and began feeling for any signs of him breathing.

“Lionpaw,” She whispered, shaking him with her paw. “Lionpaw are you okay?” 

Thankfully, a moment later, the golden tom began coughing and blinked his green eyes open. He glanced around, confused before his eyes settled on the leader who was staring at him, relief filling her soul. 

“You’re a mouse-brain.” She commented, her voice raspy with emotion. “You could’ve killed yourself doing a stunt like that. I yelled out warnings and everything but your ears were too stuffed to hear anything.” 

Her voice grew harsher as he looked away to stare at his paws in shock. “Don’t you dare do anything like that again, you hear me?” 

Behind the aggression, the leader was feeling what a mother would feel if she had almost lost her kit. A deep solicitous nature filled her bones as she stared at the golden tom as he groaned, slowly rising to his paws. Lionpaw silently dipped his head to the leader and unexpectedly brushed against her side, a nervous purr rumbling through him.

The leader could tell that he was in shock by his stiff, unsure movements and his unusual quietness. Briarstar rasped her tongue over his head trying to comfort the young tom from the near death experience. She began grooming him with more effort when he began to loosen up from her licks.

Suddenly, a bird squawked weakly from a fox-length away, causing the leader to pause her licks and glance up. The bloody body of what looked to be a finch laid in the moss, trying to roll around. She then noticed that Lionpaw had one of its feather hooked in his claws.

‘He actually caught it.’ Briarstar realized, generally surprised. She stood up and walked over to the dying bird.

One of its wings was punctured by assumingly Lionpaw’s claws and was twisted awkwardly behind its back. It squawked helplessly in the moss and the she-cat ended its life with a quick bite to the throat. She then carried the prey back over to the golden tom and dropped the bird at his paws.

“This was an impressive catch.” She praised, still surprised that he could catch something like the finch with just the tips of his claws. She brushed her tail on his shoulder and purred.

‘Either he was incredibly lucky or he really is a good hunter.’ The leader thought as the tom gave the finch a small sniff to confirm that it was dead.

“If you can handle it, I want you to carry that back to camp and give it to your mother. Then you need to go to Cinderfoot for your shock.”

Still silent, Lionpaw obediently followed her order and loosely grasped the finch in his mouth. Briarstar directed him with her tail the safest way to get back up the cliff without injuring himself any further and followed right behind him just incase he became unbalanced. Both of them had made it up without any problems and began the walk back to camp. 

...  
Briarstar used her tail to keep the young tom steady as he made his way through the forest. It was still early in the day when they had made it down the pebbles into the MoonClan camp. The clearing was deserted other than Rainwhisker and her three kits playing near the queens cave.

The gray and white spotted she-cat saw Lionpaw approaching and immediately rounded her kits up behind her with her tail. She had obviously had received the news from the previous day from them and didn’t want the golden tom anywhere near them. He didn’t seem to notice her hostile glaring as he padded right past them to the warriors cave, the finch now firmly in his jaws.

Briarstar watched him disappear inside the cave then turned to the spotted queen who had just released her kits again. “Why can’t we play with Lionpaw anymore?” Berrykit questioned, sounding annoyed. 

“Yeah, he taught us fun things about being an apprentice and the other Clans!” Volekit piped up. 

Briarstar cut in before their mother could answer. “Lionpaw has a lot of apprentice tasks to do and can’t play around as much anymore.” She replied evenly.

She didn’t want to make the kits thinks that their clanmate was a traitor and that they couldn’t trust him. That would only make matters worse as they would pass the news around camp and the whole of MoonClan would want a say in Lionpaw’s punishment.

Rainwhisker looked at the leader with surprise and she just gestured with her tail to keep quiet about Lionpaw with her tail over her mouth. The queen understood and glanced back at her kits. “That’s right kits, Lionpaw is busy right now.” She said. “But I’m sure Toadpaw would be happy to play with you once he returns from his patrol.”

Briarstar nodded in agreement at her words but the kits just sighed in unison. 

Berrykit and Volekit then faced each other, excitement gleaming their eyes. They both seemed to communicate in their minds with each other before turning to their mother. “Can we race to the camp entrance and back to pass some time then?” They both asked, waving their tails.

Rainwhisker rolled her eyes and laid down.“Go ahead.” She seemed like she was at the point of being annoyed by her kits as every queen went through. Her three kits were only 4 moons old so it would be awhile until she would be free of them. 

The tom-kits cheered and skipped over to their already settled starting point. 

Bluekit, who has yet to speak, curled up beside her mother and closed her eyes to nap. Briarstar stared at her strangely because all kits usually wanted to engage in play such as races. The blue she-kit seemed more than happy just to lay around all day and the leader couldn’t have that in her Clan.

She leaned down to her height and whispered, “Why don’t you go and join your brothers?”

The gray kit snapped her fierce blue eyes open and glared at the leader. “I want to rest,” She stated, stubbornly. “Not play with them. Toms are annoying and all they do is play and get themselves dirty.”

Briarstar narrowed her eyes at the kit. ‘Only kittypets worry about keeping their pelts clean.’ She spat in her mind. 

“There is a reason why they are playing so much, Bluekit.” She spoke gently to try and convince the kit to listen. “It’s preparing them to become apprentices, which one day you will be. Why don’t you play with them to get some experience, huh? It’s fun I promise.”

Bluekit looked to her mother for her say in whether or not she should play, silently pleading to her with her eyes to go back to sleep. In response, Rainwhisker tilted her head in the direction of her two brothers. “Briarstar’s right.” She meowed. “You’ll never become an apprentice when all you do is lay around and groom yourself.”

The gray kit just huffed and stood to her paws, lashing her little tail unhappily. Briarstar ignored the obvious disdain the she-kit was showing as she stomped her way over to her brothers and stood calmly in front of all three kits.

Volekit looked surprised as his sister stood beside him, pouting, while Berrykit stared straight at the camp entrance, focused on the finish mark. Briarstar held her tail up and the kits all crouched down, ready to run. The moment she lowered her tail, all three kits took off towards the camp entrance.

Briarstar watched intensely as the furballs skirted across the clearing, all three scraping up scraps of dirt behind them. Berrykit pulled ahead almost immediately, having the advantage with his longer legs, and dashed in front of his siblings. 

Volekit yelled out “Hey!” when his brother tauntingly dug his claws into the ground, kicking dirt in his face as he pounded ahead of him. 

Bluekit just hissed when the dirt stuck to her pelt and slowed down behind the both of them. The leader shook her head at the she-kit fell back behind her brothers just because her fur got dirty.

As expected, the cream colored kit reached the camp entrance first. He hopped around to face his siblings. “Ha, I won!” He bloated, sticking his tongue out.

His brother wiped a paw across his face to dust off the dirt from his face and once he could see, he hissed. “That’s not fair! You cheated!” He accused, pointing a paw at him.

The cream colored kit just laughed in his face and pranced proudly around him. “You’re just upset that your little legs can’t keep up with The Great Berrykit!” He boasted, puffing his chest out arrogantly. “You won’t even be able to catch a leaf with your short self.” He glanced mockingly at his brother.

Briarstar saw Volekit draw back his lips in a snarl and the darker kit sprung on his brother’s back, his little claws unsheathed. The leader gasped and bounded up to them before he could do any serious damage. She batted the brothers off each and once determined that neither of them were hurt, stared sharply down at them. 

“Now kits, we don’t wrestle with our clanmates with claws unsheathed.” She said, glancing in between them. “You both apologize right now.”

Berrykit rolled his eyes and muttered out an apology while his brother grumbled out ‘Sorry’ under his breath. Bluekit just sat behind them, licking at her fur. “Yeah and we also don’t kick dirt in your sister’s face!” The gray kit squeaked, glaring at Berrykit. “You should apologize to me too!” 

She then looked at the leader before her brothers could say anything. “I told you all toms are dirty and annoying.”

Volekit snorted and scraped some dirt in his paws only just to toss it directly onto his sister, proving her point. Berrykit giggled and toppled on his sister, smushing her in the ground under his weight. Briarstar sighed as another scuffle broke out between the kits and glanced around the camp.

The black and brown spotted body of Speckfoot emerged from the warriors cave, her spirits seemingly high shown by the skip in her step. Following more slowly was Clovertail, and then Sunstripe at his tail. The three cats were heading straight towards the leader, the morning mist instantly catching on their pelts.

Speckfoot made it to the leader first and dipped her head in greeting. “Good morning Briarstar.” She said. “Having a good day?”

Briarstar glanced over her shoulder at the kits who were still tumbling around. The other she-cat’s eyes followed and she purred deep in her throat. 

“Kits.” They sighed in unison. 

Briarstar playfully bumped her side. “You’ll be having them soon enough right?.” She teased in a whisper. “I know you’ve had your eye on Clovertail for awhile and him on you.”

Speckfoot chuckled and glanced around to make sure that he hadn’t overheard her. Luckily, the tabby was still too far away to hear them.

Embarrassment was rolling off her in waves as she turned back to the leader and curled the tip of her tail. “Anyways, Sunstripe, Clovertail, and I were heading out for a hunting patrol.” The black and brown she-cat said, fluffing up her fur in preparation for the trip outside the camp.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to join us, but I can see you’re busy kit-sitting.” Her eyes joyfully flickered over to the wrestling kits. “We’ll see you later.” 

With that, the she-cat stepped around the kits and climbed out of camp. Sunstripe passed the leader with nothing more than a brisk nod while Clovertail brushed against her in a friendly manner before they both exited camp behind Speckfoot.

“That’s enough kits!” Briarstar snapped, irritated as Berrykit squeaked out when Volekit bit into his ear. “I want you to go back inside the queens cave and wait for Toadpaw. I’ll send him to play with you when he returns.”

The three kits broke apart from their scuffle at the leader’s order and stood on opposite sides. Bluekit’s fur was brown, Berrykit had a nicked ear, and Volekit had a tuft of his brother’s fur in his mouth. The leader stared each of them in the eye. 

“Go on.” She flicked her tail dismissively. 

All three kits marched away to their mother while Briarstar padded over to her cave. She laid down in her nest, curling her tail tightly around her body to her nose. The tortoiseshell felt as if she had had enough excitement for the morning and settled down for a nap.

...  
The leader emerged from her cave around Sunhigh as the border patrol was just returning to camp. Bramblefall was in the lead with Swiftclaw and Petalpool at her heels. She was one of the best warriors MoonClan had to offer, her small size giving her advantages such as fighting in tight spots and tripping the enemy from under their paws. She also had a loyal heart and would die for her Clan in battle.

Briarstar recalled when the she-cat was born, and she herself was an apprentice. No one thought that Bramblefall would survive the harsh Leaf-Bare she was born in as her siblings had both died from the cold. But the she-cat pulled through, and with the help of Cinderfoot and her clanmates, she persevered and grew up to be a great warrior.

The small calico spotted the leader sitting at the mouth of her cave and bounded over. She dipped her head in respect and Briarstar licked her shoulder. “How was the patrol?” The leader questioned.

Bramblefall lifted her head up and posed strongly in front of her leader as she began her report. “Petalpool had scented RainClan on our side of the border again.” She hissed lowly. 

Briarstar’s fur bristled at this. “They can’t be invading again after the promise Boulderstar made at the gathering, can they?”

“It is like RainClan to do something as deceitful as this so soon.” Bramblefall replied, folding her ears back in anger. “Anyway, Petalpool could tell you more than me. She was the one who smelt the scents while I was farther away from the border.” The she-cat glanced behind her and waved the seal-pointed she-cat over with her tail.

Petalpool didn’t even acknowledge the leader’s presence when she came to stand beside Bramblefall. Briarstar huffed angrily at the lack of respect the other she-cat was displaying before nodding at the calico to go on. 

She then turned to her patrol-mate. “Petalpool, what did you actually smell?”

The seal-pointed she-cat glanced at her paws and spoke quietly. “RainClan crossed the border into our territory again despite our strong markers and Boulderstar’s promise.” She stated, lashing her tail. “But, I also smelt something odd around the border.”

The leader hissed under her breath, waving her tail impatiently. “Well go on with it.” She urged.

“I scented HazeClan cats there too.” 

Briarstar scoffed in disbelief at this. “What would HazeClan be doing on our border with RainClan?” She demanded even though her mind was screaming ‘Alliance’ at her. She couldn’t accuse the other Clans if she had no real proof to back it up.

Petalpool just glared at her with her icy blue eyes. “How am I supposed to know that?” She retorted, digging one unsheathed claw through the dirt. “I was told to report anything suspicious, not justify what I saw. If you want evidence, send another patrol for proof. I’m going to rest.”

With that, the she-cat stalked away, her pelt bristling in anger. Briarstar looked back at Bramblefall who was staring at Petalpool’s retreating form with shock. “Well okay then.” She said, slowly turning to look back at the leader. “What do you want to do about it?”

The MoonClan leader knew what her Clan wanted to do about the situation; fight. Boulderstar had broken his promise and let his Clan hunt in their territory again which angered Briarstar. But she didn’t know if she should risk more of her clanmate’s lives by starting another battle or let RainClan continue to walk all over them. 

Also she didn’t know if she should warn the Clan about the potential alliance between RainClan and HazeClan. She shook her head at the last thought, not wanting her Clan to be sent into a frenzy just because of her assumptions and decided that she would keep the information to herself, for now.

The leader sighed and stood to her paws. “I’m going to discuss this with my deputy and try to come up with a plan.” She replied. “But don’t you worry, we will get revenge on RainClan for this.”

Bramblefall purred at this and backed away from the leader to head for the fresh-kill-pile. Swiftclaw was already there, gorging himself on a rat. He scooted over to make room for the calico to sit beside him and grab herself a meal. The leader then trotted across the clearing to the warriors cave, ducking inside.

The lighting was dim inside and a few cats laid in the center of the cave, one being the cat she was looking for. 

She padded over and prodded the black mound of fur with her paws. The mound shook and slowly revealed itself to be Duskcloud. He blinked his yellow eyes open and focused on the leader’s silhouette. 

“Briarstar?” He mewed, sounding confused. “What’s the problem?”

The leader removed her paws from his back and angled her head towards the mouth of the cave. “Come, we have some things to discuss.” She ordered gently.

The tortoiseshell she-cat emerged from the cave, her sleep-ridden deputy dragging himself after her as she skipped across the clearing to the cave under HighStone. Once they were in the privacy of her cave, the leader turned to the black tom. 

“I called you here because we need to come up with a plan that’ll teach RainClan to keep off our territory for good.” She stated, curling a paw around stray feather that fluttered away from her nest. 

“They have crossed the border once again, after Boulderstar promised us that he would keep his Clan on their land.” She crushed the feather under her paw. “We must do something about this.”

Now fully awake, Duskcloud widened his eyes at the news and growled under his breath. “Those fish-pelts think they can get away with anything, don’t they?” He spat, his fur rising with irritation. “Well, we’ll show them what MoonClan is still capable of!”

Briarstar liked the deputy’s new found enthusiasm that he possessed and thought with hope that he was actually getting used to leading a Clan. He didn’t seem his normal shy self as he paced around the cave, claws unsheathed and fur bristling. 

“So, you called me so we could come up with a plan to attack them, right?” He inquired, pacing around the leader.

The leader shrugged and let out a sigh. “I’m not sure if we should attack them or not, just yet.” She replied honestly. “We are down on warriors and are still recovering from the last-”

“Cut the mouse-dung Briarstar, you know we need to attack RainClan.” He snapped, cutting her off. “It’s the only way the other Clans will start respecting MoonClan again and you, out of all cats are not mouse-brained to know that.”

Briarstar held up her paw in surprise. “Duskcloud calm down.” She ordered, keeping her voice even. “We need to think rationally about this. Our Clan is in no shape to fight RainClan. They are much more powerful and even if we took all of our warriors, we will still be outnumbered in their camp.”

The black tom stopped abruptly in front of her, his yellow eyes brimming with an idea. “What if we lure away their warriors from the camp?” He schemed. “We can cause a distraction somewhere in their territory to get the warriors out and then attack what’s left of the camp to defeat them.”

Briarstar sat dumbfounded in front of her deputy, impressed that he had come up with such a plan on the spot, and a bit nervous at what he had came up with. There was still a risk RainClan wouldn’t fall for a trap but she shook her head, dismissing her doubts. She needed to trust her deputy.

‘Hollystar may have chosen right all along.’ She thought, staring at him thoughtfully. 

She let out a sigh, knowing she couldn’t come up with a better plan, and flicked her tail, directing him to continue. The black tom purred and sat down in front of her, beginning to go into detail about the ambush on RainClan.

…  
Speckfoot’s hunting patrol came back to camp later in the day, their mouths lacking from any fat pieces of prey. Briarstar noticed as she sat on top of HighStone that the black and brown she-cat was sulking at her patrol’s measly catches as she tossed hers, a small mouse, on top of the fresh-kill-pile.The black and brown she-cat saw the leader was watching her a moment later and ducked her head in shame, padding over to the more shaded part of the clearing, Clovertail trailing behind her. The two cats laid side by side and began to share tongues causing Briarstar to purr knowingly. 

Petalpool grabbed Speckfoot’s mouse from the fresh-kill-pile and munched on it quietly, Sunstripe settling beside her, empty pawed. Flameheart emerged from the warriors cave with Cedarlight and Hawkpelt not far behind. The three cats all went to get something to eat when they noticed that the pile was lower than normal and backed away.

Briarstar assumed that they wanted the queens and medicine cats to eat first, as tradition in MoonClan. Duskcloud’s tail brushed against her shoulder, signaling that she should gather the Clan. “All MoonClan cats, please gather under HighStone for a Clan meeting!” She yowled.

The remaining cats came out of their respective caves and huddled around the HighStone. The leader happily noticed that Finchpaw had came out of the queen's cave, Echospirit guiding him with her tail. She could see that clumps of fur were missing from his pelt but his wounds were healing properly.

“As you may or may not know, RainClan has invaded our territory again, despite Boulderstar’s promise.” She announced once everyone was present. “Petalpool scented them on the border patrol, saying that the smell was fresh. MoonClan won’t sit back and let them continue stealing our prey this time. We will have to teach them boundaries, the hard way.”

Cats such as Swiftclaw, Amberstone, and Bramblefall yowled out in agreement at her statement. The other Clan cats joined in with chorus, vengeance roaring in their voices. They were just as excited to battle with another Clan as Duskcloud seemed to be. The leader looked over at her deputy who was lashing his tail impatiently and nodded for him to speak.

“MoonClan, I have come up with the plan that will hopefully keep RainClan out of our fur, for good.” He announced, surprising everyone. The Clan, like Briarstar were silenced with awe that the deputy seemed to shed his shy self to a more confident cat as he spoke without guidance in front of them. 

“I believe that we should lure RainClan’s warriors away from their camp so we can attack their weak points, and Boulderstar himself.” He explained slowly so everyone could understand. “We must come up with an effective way to get most of their warriors away from their camp and keep them away for long enough so we can sneak in and launch our attack.”

The entire camp was silent and all ears were stretched to hear Duskcloud’s plan. “In order to ambush them properly, we will need to know their camp routine. We’ll have to send one of our fastest cats into their territory to spy on them.”

Immediately, Flameheart raised his paws in the air and yowled ‘Me!’ to the deputy and leader. Briarstar chuckled at the young warrior’s enthusiasm and nodded. “Flameheart volunteers himself to be the spy.” She announced, directing the Clan’s attention to the young orange warrior.

Duskcloud seemed pleased at the choice and no one in the crowd had anything to say against it so the deputy continued with his speech. “Very well.” He dipped his head to the orange tom. “As we now have a spy, we can discuss what we’ll need to know and do before the attack. I want RainClan running with their tails tucked when MoonClan is finished with them.”

All the MoonClan cats yowled in agreement, wanting to establish themselves as a strong Clan once again. But Briarstar couldn’t help herself in feeling a bit of apprehension as she noticed Cinderfoot from across the clearing, shaking her head and padding back inside her cave.

‘Darkness lies within. Allies will become enemies and blood will be shed for the light to shine again,’ echoed loudly in her mind as Duskcloud’s voice died out from her ears. 

‘Maybe the battle will give answer to this prophecy.’ She thought, a chill rising within her fur.


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again! Sorry for the break I had school to do. Only one more week and then I'm out for summer break!! Anyway, here's another chapter for Briarstar's story/ MoonClan's story!

A few sunrises passed after the discussion of Duskcloud’s plan rose in the MoonClan camp. Life continued as normal only with the added patrols courtesy of the deputy himself being extra cautious. Briarstar thought he was going a bit overboard when he began scheduling almost five patrols per day, but he thought it was getting the Clan back into shape for the impending battle so she just decided not to argue.

On the night of Half Moon, Cinderfoot had taken Sagepaw to StoneFalls and she was finally accepted officially by StarClan as a medicine cat apprentice, which the Clan was overjoyed for. Sagepaw was following her mentor paw by paw, absorbing as much information as she could in that short amount of time since the announcement of the deputy’s plan.

Finchpaw had also begun his apprentice training when Cinderfoot and Echospirit deemed him strong enough, and he was growing stronger everyday since. The scars that now striped his pelt were the only things that gave away his past defeat but the tom was heavily determined not to let that get to him. Briarstar noticed that he seemed to be catching on quickly both in hunting and fighting despite having a late start at his training. As Amberstone was an experienced warrior, she was keeping him on his paws from dawn to dusk training with the other apprentices, preparing for battle.  
...  
The sharp silhouette of leaf-bare branches hung over the MoonClan camp, swinging with the wind. The sun had risen slowly in the gray sky one morning, a little over a week after Duskcloud announced his plan to the Clan. Briarstar had gotten up early to lead a border patrol consisting of Rowanheart, Cedarlight, and Reedtail. Once they had made it a good a ways from camp, the leader had decided that they should patrol the HazeClan border as it was the closest border away from camp. The tortoiseshell she-cat could tell that her clanmates were exhausted from their slow movements as they trudged around the territory and didn't want to push them any further. 

All the cats climbed safely down the cliff that led to the stream that marked the HazeClan border, each cat landing with a slight limp into the moss. Briarstar could only assume that their muscles were strained from all the walking and climbing Duskcloud had them doing these past few days as her own were. Rowanheart in particular was having a hard time keeping up. He disguised his exhaustion from his clanmates by trotting with his head held high, but Briarstar knew him well enough to see right through it. 

She could tell when he wasn’t feeling well, but when she confronted him and requested that he should stay in camp to rest, he insisted that he was fine and bounded out of camp with the rest of the morning patrol.

The sound of a branch snapping from across the stream caught Briarstar’s attention and she held up her tail to warm her clanmates as they were remarking their side of the stream. Her ears twitched at Rowanheart’s low warning hiss as the golden body of Fallenleaf emerged from the shadows of his territory, a ginger brown she-cat with white paws and a small brown she-cat with black spots filtering out from behind him. 

Briarstar stood her ground and encouraged her patrol to do the same as they drew closer to their side of the shore. The moss grew suddenly cold under her paws as the enemy cats settled on the rocks that marked the edge of their territory, their slim but strong muscles rippling under the early sun.

“Greetings MoonClan,” Fallenleaf’s commanding voice boomed from across the stream. 

He made eye contact with the leader, seemingly staring straight through her soul as he continued. “HazeClan brings no harm, we only came to collect some water for our queens.”

The ginger she-cat who came to stand beside him dipped her head peacefully and flicked her tail at the spotted cat beside her who bowed obediently. 

“Nice to see you again, Briarstar.” The ginger she-cat said curtly. “I’m sure you remember my apprentice, Poppypaw?” She inquired, brushing her tail on the spotted she-cat’s flank. 

The spotted she-cat beside her turned and grabbed a rounded leaf from behind her. Once she faced the stream with the leaf in her mouth, she glanced between the MoonClan cats and her own mentor, not making direct eye contact with either of them, seemingly waiting for instruction. Briarstar noticed that Poppypaw seemed a bit nervous, which was unlike her clanmates, who were fierce and always ready to fight. This was an odd observation to her because the spotted she-cat had fought bravely in their past battle and kept the leader hopping on her paws when she encountered her and some other apprentices from HazeClan.

She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to force fear in the young she-cat’s deminer in the short span of a few moons. Briarstar then let out a forced purr, her tail bobbing lowly behind her. “I sure do Dawnflower.” She said calmly, wanting to gag. “She sure has grown to be a strong looking she-cat.”

The two older cats beside her twitched their whiskers, both hearing the force in the leader’s voice but Poppypaw dipped her head at the compliment and placed the leaf she had in the stream. She began collecting some water inside while her clanmates continued to stare at the MoonClan cats.

Rowanheart brushed his tail against Briarstar’s in a calming gesture as she glared at the enemy cats, a tense silence falling over them. Fallenleaf just held his green gaze with hers for a few moments as Poppypaw continued to scoop the water before sweeping it across the rest of her patrol. 

“Reedtail, nice to see you’re doing better after Leaffur.” He addressed the dark brown tom with a small nod. “It’s a shame to hear that a bright young warrior had to die.”

In return, Reedtail hissed and turned his nose up at the HazeClan warrior. “It’s not like you would care.” He replied, his black tipped tail twitching angrily behind him. “HazeClan only cares about themselves and barely that.”

Briarstar turned to scold her clanmate but Dawnflower beat her to it, her civility disappearing in the wind. “I could say the same for MoonClan.” She retorted, narrowing her eyes. “I didn't see you showing any gratitude to GorgeClan when they saved your tails at the gathering. HazeClan could’ve eaten you alive right then if wasn’t for Springstar’s pretty speech.”

As Briarstar arched her back at the jab, Dawnflower turned to chuckle at her clanmates. “I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Springstar is related to this kittypet. They both act as if they rule this forest with their kind words and wise little speeches, just like a twoleg’s pet would be.”

The tortoiseshell she-cat bared her teeth at the HazeClan warrior but Rowanheart stepped in front of her before they could do anything. Dawnflower made a content, hmph noise as she saw that she had gotten to MoonClan leader and waved her tail to her apprentice, guiding her out of the stream.

Fallenleaf cleared his throat once Poppypaw was back on their side of the border and hissed lowly to the MoonClan cats. “Save it kittypets, you don’t scare us real warriors.” He asserted, whipping around, his back turned on the other Clan.

“Come on, let’s get back to camp before we have to teach these kittypets another lesson.” He ordered his own patrol.

With that, the golden warrior dashed off in the dark forest of his own territory. Dawnflower sent the MoonClan cats one last glare before following behind her clanmate. Poppypaw held tightly onto her leaf full of water and backed away from them, her tail high in the air for balance. 

Once the spotted apprentice disappeared back into the forest, Rowanheart moved out from blocking Briarstar.

“That was close one.” She breathed, spinning around to face her clanmates. “I didn't think HazeClan will try to provoke us so soon after the last battle, but I should have known better. We can never be too sure about HazeClan.”

Rowanheart rested his tail on her shoulder. “They're just being petty, as usual Briarstar.” He assured.

The leader brushed him off as Cedarlight stepped up to her. “It wouldn’t be bad to have an extra eye out for them just in case Webstar and his Clan are feeling frisky.” She said then added, “When aren’t they feeling frisky these days?”

Rowanheart had nodded his head in agreement to that. Reedtail rose his tail to speak. “Maybe when we start sending Flameheart out, we could tell him to check this border before and after he goes to RainClan.” He suggested.

Briarstar purred at their suggestions and nodded. “That’s sounds like a good plan Reedtail.” She praised, dipping her head. “But we also have make sure we aren’t overworking the young tom into the ground.” 

The leader faced both of the cats. “Sending him across the border is one risk but we won’t want HazeClan to become suspicious if they notice Flameheart popping up every few days at their border.”

Reedtail and Cedarlight looked at each other and just shrugged before padding over to the stream to get a drink. Rowanheart followed their lead and the leader watch as her clanmates quenched their thirst. Once they were all satisfied, Briarstar flicked her tail and the patrol set off back to the MoonClan camp. On the way there, Cedarlight opted that they’d hunt as prey was low back at camp. The days were growing shorter and the nights were growing colder as Leaf-bare settled in and the prey wasn’t as plentiful as they were used to. 

This wasn’t Briarstar’s first Leaf-bare and since the MoonClan cats were primarily living in the mountains, they were already used to the cold weather. That didn't mean that all the prey was used to it as most of them would be hiding in their holes soon. Reedtail and Cedarlight set off in opposite directions to hunt while Rowanheart stuck beside Briarstar. The black and white tom was an expert hunter, even in his senior age. and one of the Clan’s fastest climbers. This helped in catching the odd squirrel and some birds of prey that were dumb enough to stay in their nests while the cats were out hunting.

Briarstar was padding silently beside him, ears arched to sense any prey nearby, when he suddenly tensed and dropped down to a hunter’s crouch. The leader crouched as well and hung back behind him as he slithered through the undergrowth, concentrating on his target. A few heartbeats later, Briarstar could hear a surprised squeak from above and then silence. She rose to her paws and glanced around and soon spotted her black and white clanmate gripping to a large pine tree that he had surprisingly scaled in silence. He grunted as he leapt back down to the ground, brandishing a fat squirrel in his jaws.

Rowanheart dropped his impressive catch at Briarstar’s paws. “I would like to see you eat something today.” He meowed, just a hint of concern in his voice. “As our leader, you need to remain strong. We don’t need you starving yourself for your Clan at the beginning of Leaf-bare.”

Briarstar purred at him in thanks and leaned down to sniff the squirrel. It smelled healthy and filling. Her stomach rumbled and Rowanheart smirked knowingly. He nodded his head to the prey and she had no choice but to eat it. 

The leader took one large bite out of the prey and her mouth watered at the rich taste of the fat squirrel. She got about halfway through the squirrel when she felt something brush against her muzzle and stood back. 

Rowanheart had taken a bite out of the squirrel and was smiling sheepishly at her. “I get hungry too.” He pointed out with humor laced in his tone.

The tortoiseshell she-cat bumped his side playfully. “I guess you can have the rest of the squirrel that you caught.” She said sarcastically with a sigh. “You deserve it.”

The black and white tom played along and placed a paw on his white chest. “Oh how generous of my Great Leader Briarstar to gift me something as delicious as my own prey!” He exclaimed dramatically. “I, a lowly warrior can’t express to how grateful I am for this act of kindness brought onto me! I am not worthy!”

He then proceeded to gulp down the rest off the squirrel loudly, Briarstar giggling to herself at his dramatic nature. After Rowanheart had finished, he lifted his head and brushed his muzzle on hers, affectionately. Briarstar purred low in her throat and licked a speck of blood off his cheek.

“You’re a mousebrain.” She whispered into his cheek.

Laughter sounded from behind the two cats and they both jumped away from each other in surprise. Cedarlight and Reedtail appeared from the shrubs both having caught small mice. Reedtail held his by their tails and grinned around the prey at the two older cats. 

“You two are out of your minds.” He teased playfully flicking his tail.

Cedarlight dropped her prey and nodded. “Yeah, you sound like apprentices bickering out here.”

Rowanheart held up a paw in defense.“What’s the problem with having a little fun once in awhile?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

The white and brown patched she-cat shook her head. “Oh nothing,” She assured with the flick of her tail. “I just expected you to be a bit more serious and stressed with this battle about to occur, you know?”

Briarstar let out a sigh as the other she-cat was right. This was no time to be joking around and as leader of MoonClan, she should be a bit less carefree when the battle with RainClan was approaching. She brushed her tail across Rowanheart’s shoulder to silently assure him that he had done nothing wrong. 

“All joking aside, let’s all just get back to camp.” She directed, putting the battle back as her main priority in her mind. 

...  
Her patrol made it back just before Sunhigh to the MoonClan camp and as they climbed down, they noticed that the clearing was barren. Duskcloud had made sure that all the strong and healthy cats had something to do with themselves, like patrolling or training for battle. He himself was on his second patrol of the day as Briarstar had saw him depart right before her patrol did that morning.

The MoonClan leader thought it was somewhat dangerous to have the camp empty as any Clan could attack them without warning and shook her head at her deputy’s carelessness. As the leader padded further into the clearing, she spotted Rainwhisker and Speckfoot near the nursery, the kits bounding around them. The leader made her way over to them, her tail high in the air, while her patrol went to deposit their prey.

“Did Duskcloud send all of the warriors to be on patrol?” She demanded, reaching the two she-cats.

Speckfoot let out a tired sigh and nodded her head. “Yes he did.” She replied, a bit out of breath. “I just got back from patrolling the GorgeClan border with Amberstone and Finchpaw. They decided to go back out though when they realized that the fresh-kill-pile was low.”

The black and brown she-cat stretched out a single leg and the leader grimaced from the sound of it popping. “I think I need a break from the patrols for today.” She continued, stretching out another leg before winching to herself. 

“I believe I twisted my paw a bit when I landed wrong traveling down there. It’s becoming swollen now.”

She held out her left paw and the wrist appeared to be swelling in the leader’s eyes. Worry swirled in Rainwhisker’s blue eyes. “You should get Cinderfoot to look at that.” She advised, resting her tail on her shoulder. “Go in her cave and wait for her. She and Sagepaw are out herb collecting but they should be back soon.”

Briarstar was surprised at the fierce tone Rainwhisker was possessing when she ordered the warrior around, but then realized that she was a queen and she treated almost all her clanmates as if they were kits. 

The leader thought of all her Clan as her kits as they all were her responsibility like a mother to her children and dipped her head respectfully at the queen. Speckfoot nodded in agreement to the queen, a purr rising in her throat “I will, you don’t have to worry about me Rainwhisker.”

The gray spotted queen brushed her tail across her flank. “We can’t have our young warriors getting hurt at a time like this. Battle time is near as you are aware of, and small injuries like this will only hinder yourself and the Clan.” 

The queen disguised her mother-like tone for a more practical way of speaking as she made the she-cat believe that she was only looking out for the Clan and not only her. Briarstar watched as Speckfoot nodded once more and limped over to the medicine cat cave. Her black and brown spotted pelt disappeared inside the vine screen that hung over the mouth of the cave. The leader looked back at the queen who was anxiously kneading her paws into the ground. 

“You don’t have to feel guilty about caring for your clanmates.” Briarstar told her softly. 

“As a mother myself, I sometimes can’t help to feel protective over every cat I care for and I can assure you that that feeling doesn’t go away anytime soon. Hollystar had told me it was better to be safe rather than sorry when I felt that I was becoming overprotective over Hawkpelt when he was just born and I had lost Adderkit.”

Rainwhisker purred to her at her kind words and met the leader’s gaze, her blue eyes sparkling. “Thanks Briarstar. I just can’t help but worry sometimes, especially when a battle is so near and she’s so young.”

Briarstar dipped her head in understandance. Just as she was going to continue, something ran into her back. She swung around and saw Bluekit and Berrykit staring at her with wide eyes while Volekit was looking off in the distance, ignoring everyone on purpose. 

She narrowed her eyes on all of them in suspicion. “Who hit me?” Her voice was faking on serious just to mess with them.

Berrykit spoke up first, his blue eyes wide with apology. “We’re sorry Briarstar! We didn’t mean it, honest!”

“Yeah Briarstar we were just playing around!” Bluekit piped up. “It wasn’t me who did it, they did.” The kit proceeded to turn her head towards her brothers who began to tussle again. 

Surprisingly, the pretty gray kit crouched down to assumingly join them. The gray kit wiggled her body before launching herself on top of Berrykit. The cream kit was caught off guard but he regained his footing quickly. Volekit jumped and pinned his sister under his paws while Berrykit laughed before hopping on all three of them. 

“I’m a fat RainClan warrior, push me off!.” He taunted as his smaller siblings grunted from under him.

The tortoiseshell she-cat shook out her ruffled pelt and glared playfully at all the kits. She thought it would be funny to scare the kits but just before she could spit out a reply, Rainwhisker stepped up beside her, fur bristling.

“Kits, inside the cave now!” She ordered, flicking her tail sharply. “ You’re bothering Briarstar with all that fighting. Come, it’s time for a nap!”

All three of her kits scrambled to their paws and obediently padded back inside the queens cave, Rainwhisker nodding once to the leader before hurrying in after them. 

Briarstar sighed to herself and trotted across the clearing and leapt on top of the HighStone. She sat down and began grooming herself to pass some time for her clanmates to return back to the clearing.


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heyy I'm back with a new chapter!! To be warned, this part is mostly filler, but important filler. So don't skip if you want the next chapter to make sense. Alright, onto Chapter 10!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated! <3

As the weeks blew by, MoonClan grew stronger and more determined for the battle with RainClan. Duskcloud had been putting together all the recent patrols and was reminded by Cinderfoot that the cats all needed to rest at least twice a day so they could all remain healthy, which he begrudgingly agreed to. He was also confronted by the leader as she requested that they should have at least three warriors in camp at all times, in between patrols, just in case a Clan tried to attack them. He had agreed as he didn't want to be responsible of the death of his Clan in an ambush.

Briarstar stayed in camp most of the time, supervising battle training with the apprentices while the rest of the warriors were out patrolling. Finchpaw had managed to pin Toadpaw to the ground when the MoonClan leader had approached a training session, the morning before the monthly gathering. Amberstone was staring at her apprentice with approval in her yellow eyes while Reedtail lashed his tail angrily at his apprentice’s defeat. Briarstar was surprised to see that the more experienced apprentice had been so easily defeated by the smaller and lesser tom. But she then recalled that Amberstone was an excellent mentor and never disappointed with her teaching skills, especially when a battle was near.

Amberstone flicked her tail at the two toms. “Alright, let’s try that again.” She said. “But this time, Toadpaw could you actually concentrate on tackling Finchpaw? You’re as clumsy as a newborn badger.”

The gray and brown she-cat then glanced at her own apprentice as he stood up from tackling Toadpaw and brushed off his pelt, revealing his now healed scars from underneath his fluffy fur. He looked ready for another round, bouncing on his paws, while Toadpaw panted heavily on the ground.

“Give him a moment to recover.” Amberstone said to her apprentice. “Poor scrap needs it.” 

Reedtail snorted at her comment and picked up his apprentice by his scruff. Toadpaw huffed as he let his mentor drag him to his paws and straighten up his posture with sharp prods of his tail. 

He hung his head in shame. “I’ll never be able to win a spar with anyone with my dumb ear.” The tabby tom whined quietly. “Any enemy smart enough will use that to their advantage against me.”

He ran a paw over his folded ear angrily and his mentor just kept fixing his position, his eyes narrowed in concentration. “Crouch a little lower and have your tail angled out straighter for balance.” He instructed the tabby tom without addressing the previous comment. “Finchpaw keeps knocking you off your paws because you are off balanced, not because you can’t hear anything. You hear just as well as any cat so stop worrying about your ears and focus.”

Briarstar stood about a snake-length away from them for her daily observation and only Amberstone acknowledged her presence with a brief friendly glance before concentrating on her apprentice again. The gray tom was skipping around her, excited about his victory and muttering about more ways he could win next time. She ran her tail down his spine in attempt to calm him and Finchpaw purred lowly at the gesture, sitting down beside her.

“Now Toadpaw, I want you to practice your drop and kick that I taught you.” Reedtail had whispered to his apprentice, low enough so Finchpaw and Amberstone couldn’t hear him. “You’ve been doing well with that against Lionpaw so try your best against Finchpaw and see if you can catch him by surprise.”

From a few mouse-lengths away, the leader glanced at Amberstone who gave the black tipped tom a mischievous look.

She smirked then let out a little chuckle. “What do you two plan on doing now?” She pestered with the playful lash of her tail. “Actually planning on winning a spar, I suppose?”

Finchpaw laughed with her, his voice laced with arrogance that made Briarstar’s pelt itch uncomfortably. “Yeah right, Amberstone.” He teased. “Toadpaw’s so slow he can’t even keep up with me, nevermind beat me.”

Reedtail glared at the gray tom and wrapped his long tail protectively around his apprentice. He bared his teeth at the younger tom and took a dangerous step forward. “Finchpaw, you should really watch your tongue when gloating about your brief win at a petty spar.” He said seriously. “Any enemy warrior will slice you up just like Splashfur did and next time you may not be so lucky to make it out alive if you’re running your mouth the whole time. ” 

The brown warrior’s eyes then flickered up to catch the angry gaze of Finchpaw’s mentor on him. He stepped around Finchpaw, who was now staring at his paws from the scolding, and glared at Amberstone, “You could not be so arrogant all the time and teach him some humility once and awhile too.” 

Briarstar stepped in quickly before the other warrior could retort. She knew Amberstone didn’t take too kindly to criticism, especially not when it was spat at her. “Just apologize now and and continue with your training.” She ordered the gray apprentice, her voice holding no room for argument. 

Finchpaw noticeably was scared by her tone shown by his immediate submissive crouching and then dipped his head to his fellow clanmate. “Sorry Toadpaw.”

Satisfied, the leader faced the gray and brown she-cat who was shifting impatiently on her paws. “And Amberstone, I advise you to ease your tone when training Finchpaw. We don't need him getting into pointless fights because of his risen ego you're giving him. He may be advancing in his training but there’s no need for you to praise his gloating.”

In response, the other she-cat just scoffed quietly and turned her head away from her to look at Toadpaw. “My apologies for being a bit rough on you two.” She addressed both apprentices calmly. “With this battle coming along, I may have lost my sense to mentor within reason because I want you to be ready for fighting a tougher enemy.”

The gray and brown she-cat let out a long sigh and plopped down on her bottom. Turning to the leader, she continued. “I am dealing with a lot of stress on my shoulders trying to catch up to the other apprentices in training. I just wanted him to be prepared when the time for battle comes.”

She then glanced to Toadpaw. “I’d actually like to see you win a spar this time.”

The tabby tom nodded, a bit of confidence in his stance as he crouched down again. Finchpaw glanced at his mentor in confusion and she just sharply flicked her tail out at him. He quickly crouched down as well and waited for instruction. Briarstar stood beside Reedtail, momentarily taking over his mentorship to watch the tom and direct him if needed. The warrior seemed to understand what she was doing and took a step back.

“Alright you two, ready for another round?” She asked the apprentices.

Toadpaw stood up at little taller, his dumb ear shifting slightly on his head when he nodded to the leader. Finchpaw narrowed his blue eyes to his opponent and slowly arched his back in preparation for his attack.

With the small nod of Briarstar’s head, the two toms were hurdling over each other once again. The gray apprentice swiped out with his front paws when he was slammed under his opponent. He hissed and batted on the other cat’s bad side, catching Toadpaw off guard and causing him to stumble a bit. The gray and white tom moved at incredible speed as he tucked under his opponent, tripping him under his paws. Toadpaw fell on his back with a hiss, but just as Finchpaw went to pin him again, he kicked out strongly with his hind legs and threw the other tom off, displaying an almost perfect drop and kick move. Finchpaw yowled out in surprise and fell on his side, sliding in the dirt while the brown tabby got back to his paws. The gray tom didn’t stay down for long as he jumped up almost immediately, prepared for Toadpaw’s next move. The tabby tom had took a running start for his next move, and then launched himself in the air. 

Finchpaw hissed and leapt up to counter his move. He was a moment too late because when he got up in the air, Toadpaw had already grabbed his shoulder and threw himself over him. They landed hard on the ground, Toadpaw lying squarely over the younger tom’s shoulders. Finchpaw groaned and held himself to the ground while Toadpaw laid on top of him, pinning him down triumphantly. Briarstar lifted her head in surprise at the move the tabby pulled off and stepped in between the two toms before they could continue. 

“Toadpaw has proved himself in this spar that he is capable in his fighting moves to beat a faster opponent.” She said to them. “I don’t think anything else can prove that he’s worthy to fight in the battle against RainClan.”

Toadpaw bounced happily to his paws and pranced around his mentor while his opponent rolled to his side, groaning loudly. “I did it, I did it!” The tabby tom exclaimed. “Reedtail did you see me? I swept him off his paws so fast and jumped on him, and-”

Reedtail purred over his apprentice’s excitement. “Calm down Toadpaw, I saw you.” He praised, placing his tail on his shoulders. “You did wonderful. Now if you do that to a RainClan warrior, I’m sure you’ll have them running with their tails tucked.”

Briarstar glanced over at Amberstone who nodded curtly at the pair. “Good work Toadpaw.” She praised, the leader hearing the force in her voice. “You should teach Finchpaw that move one day when you’re not busy. You won’t mind teaching him a lesson right?”

In return, the older apprentice nodded and purred at Finchpaw. “Yeah, I won’t mind that.” He replied, brushing his tail across the gray tom’s head. “It’s way more fun when I train with other cats, especially ones who actually listen.”

Finchpaw stood up slowly and bumped his head against the other’s in a friendly way then padded to his mentor. Briarstar almost missed the subtle wink that was shared between the two cats. Amberstone leaned down to mouth ‘Good job.’ at her apprentice before snapping her head back up to glance at the leader who was watching them. 

The leader suddenly realized with surprise that the gray tom had lost the spar on purpose and the whole loss was planned as he effortlessly shook off the ‘defeat’. Reedtail and Toadpaw were too distracted in the tabby’s false victory to notice the other pair chuckling with each other. She shook her head at the gray and brown warrior when her yellow eyes met hers. 

‘What a sly pair.’ Briarstar commented in her mind. ‘Hopefully they’ll use that type of manipulation for good during our battle.’ 

Reedtail broke away from the group and made his way over to the camp’s entrance. “Come on Toadpaw, let’s go hunt while you’re still energized.” He said to his apprentice. 

“Would you two like to join us?” He offered to the other pair of cats.

Finchpaw excitedly ran up to join Toadpaw’s side without asking his mentor for permission. Amberstone sighed and shook her head, begrudgingly heading over to join them. Briarstar nodded at the patrol as the apprentices bounded out of camp, their mentors scrambling up after them.

‘I wish I had their energy again.’ She sighed internally.

Just as she was going to head for the fresh-kill-pile, Speckfoot came bursting out from the medicine cat cave, a smile stretched wide across her face. The black and brown she-cat came right up to the leader and purred loudly in greeting.

“Briarstar, I have some good news to tell you!” The black and brown she-cat exclaimed, causing the leader’s ears to perk up in interest.

“Yes Speckfoot, what is it?” She inquired with a slight chuckle. 

“Cinderfoot just told me that I going to be having kits!” 

Happiness swelled in the tortoiseshell’s chest at the news and she purred loudly to the other she-cat while glancing down at her belly. More kits meant more future warriors to MoonClan in which they desperately needed. 

“That's excellent news!” The leader replied happily, before licking her shoulder. “Who’s the father?”

The black and brown she-cat eyes sparkled and she purred even louder at her question. “My Clover.”

Briarstar smiled knowingly, happy for the young she-cat and her new mate. She and the rest of the Clan was waiting for the news that the two would eventually come together to have kits as they were padding after each other for some time now. 

Ever since Speckfoot was apprenticed under Amberstone, Clovertail had held a strong interest in her. They had always spent a lot of time with each other and even when Clovertail had Flameheart to apprentice, he preferred training with her or doing group training sessions just so they could see each other.

Speckfoot continued to purr and brushed her tail across Briarstar's flank. “I’m due in another moon or so.” She continued excitedly. “I’m going to go wake Clovertail to tell him, see ya!” She said before skipping her way across to clearing to tell the news to her mate inside the warrior’s cave.

Her news and enthusiasm gave Briarstar that extra push to get herself up to do something productive for her Clan. She decided that she would try to hunt some before Duskcloud’s border patrol returned. But before she could depart, she wanted to announce her leaving to Cinderfoot who was inside her cave. The leader sauntered inside the medicine cat cave, darkness enveloping her immediately.

The fresh scent of newly picked herbs filled her nostrils as she made her way farther down the cave. The leader had soon made out the shape of Sagepaw sleeping in her nest from a crack in the ceiling spilling in sunlight. She slept heavily and didn't even budge when the leader stepped over her to continue to the back of the cave. Cinderfoot had soon appeared, her brown speckled pelt gleaming gray from the light that seeped into the cracks. She had seemed to notice the leader’s presence instantly and dropped what she was doing to face her.

“You alright, Briarstar?” She inquired. “Your joints aching again? Sagepaw just got back with some Goldenrod, matter of fact, if you need it.”

Briarstar shushed her with the gentle shake of her head. “No not this time. I was just coming to tell you that I was going out hunting for a bit.”

The medicine cat made an ‘Oh’ sound and then shrugged her shoulders. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “And why are you telling me this?”

The leader was taken aback by the lack of concern in her voice and leaned forward. “You’re not going to chastise me about going out of camp so much?” She wondered curiously.

“No, I actually think you deserve some time out of camp.” The speckled she-cat replied, fully facing her. “You’ve been holed up here for days, training with the apprentices. Getting out and stretching your bones should be good for you, but I wouldn’t recommend going too far so you don't exhaust yourself before the gathering tonight.”

Briarstar nodded and brushed her head on Cinderfoot’s shoulder. “Thanks, I’ll see if I can bring back something for you.” She told her.

Cinderfoot purred and swatted the leader away with a soft paw. “That sounds lovely. Go on now.”

The tortoiseshell began to make her way back down the cave when she heard the medicine cat call her again and halted in her pace. “Hey Briarstar!” The she-cat turned around at hearing her name.

“You know I’m not your mentor, right?” She teased. “You can leave camp whenever you want. You’re the leader of MoonClan, for StarClan’s sake.”

Embarrassment rushed through the tortoiseshell’s body and she gave her chest a few licks to settle herself. “Thanks Cinderfoot.” She called back before she bounded out the rest of the cave.

Briarstar broke out of the vine screen and winced as she was met with the brightness of outside again. She shook her head, refocusing her vision before padding over to the camp entrance. She leapt up the hill, climbing out of camp, kicking pebbles out behind her as she reached the top. It felt nice to be outside in the forest again as a cool breeze blew through her fur at the top of the entrance of the MoonClan camp. Fresh mountain air chilled her bones when she took a deep breath in. The itch to explore was filtering in her paws as she glanced around the area. 

Thick trees spread out across the land a few fox lengths away from the rocky terrain of the MoonClan camp which lead into the deeper parts of their territory. Then to the right of her, she could distantly make out more mountains and hills where the eagles and other predators roamed. Briarstar took off in the direction of the trees, not yet deciding on where she would be hunting, and took a trip around the main mountain. Her paws led her around the vast amount of densely wooded parts of MoonClan’s territory, skipping around small cracks in the ground and large stones that penetrated through the raw land.

As she reached an open stone clearing, she slowed her pace and gave the area a sniff about. An old pond used to be there in the center of the clearing, which explained why her claws made marks when she trotted through the smooth, wet rock. This place in particular was close to the GorgeClan border which is a reason why she didn’t visit here often. Briarstar took a sharp turn to leave the stone clearing and headed back towards the RainClan border, deciding to hunt around there. The trees filtered down to only a few sprouting up as she came closer to the border. Soon enough, the tortoiseshell she-cat had made it to her rival’s border and stood at the edge, her body and mind tense.

Everything was quiet other than the whistling wind that blew through the few trees that scattered around the area. Her ears angled at the sound of prey scurrying around, further in the undergrowth but she focused on the border. She had to make sure that there were no enemy cats near before she decided to drop get guard and hunt. After a few quiet moments, and with no recent scent of RainClan in the air, the leader relaxed and turned back towards the trees to hunt. One thing she was good at was climbing up things. She may have not been born in MoonClan but she did have MoonClan blood passed onto her from her father, which gave her the great ability to climb great heights for long distances.

Briarstar had dropped down in a crouch when she heard the pecking of a bird’s beak from ahead. She angled herself downwind from the prey and carefully stalked through the underground, her belly scraping against the forest floor. The ground had progressively softened to dirt as she continued stalking and the bird continued eating. The bird, which was soon recognized by the leader as a common finch, fluttered up to rest on the branch of a tree when the wind came sweeping through. The tortoiseshell she-cat let out a slow breath and crouched at the base of the tree, waiting for the right moment to pounce. 

The finch had stretched out one of it’s wings and became distracted with grooming itself that when the leader decided to launch herself on the low branch and aim for it’s neck, it didn't even see have time to react. With one quick swipe of her claw, the reddish-brown bird came crashing down to the ground with nothing louder than a peep leaving its beak before it broke its neck from the impact of the fall. Briarstar smiled to herself at her successful catch and lept back down to the ground to collect her kill. She picked it up by the neck and found a soft patch of dirt to dig up and bury the prey in. Once properly hidden, the leader set off again to find more prey.

 

...  
It was just past Sunhigh when the leader had returned to camp, her mouth stuffed with her catches consisting of two finches and a mouse. She dropped a finch and mouse delicately in the fresh-kill-pile and kept the first finch she caught to bring to the medicine cat. Cinderfoot was sitting outside her cave for once when the leader had approached. She and Sagepaw were sharing tongues and they paused, noticing the tortoiseshell. 

Briarstar dropped the finch down in front of them and purred. “Here you are.”

The medicine cat smiled appreciatively and tore into the bird’s feathers immediately. Sagepaw stood up to give her mentor some space and bounded over to the fresh kill pile to get something for herself. Lionpaw was already there so she sat beside him to gossip.

Briarstar dipped her head to the speckled brown she-cat and backed away to her own cave. Padding inside the dark crevice, she wasn’t expecting to find Rowanheart there. He was sitting up in her nest, a mouse dangling from his mouth. The tortoiseshell she-cat sauntered her way up to the tom and he just dropped the mouse to greet her with a lick on the cheek.

“Where were you at today?” He whispered right in her ear as she was pulling away. “I came looking for you when I got off patrol.”

The leader chuckled lowly at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” She replied smoothly, padding around him.

The black and white tom curled his tail around hers as she sat beside him. “Hunting?” He guessed, smirking.

“How’d you know?” She gasped, faking her surprise with wide green eyes. “I could’ve gone to the gorges and met up with Springstar for some leader talk.”

“I can see and smell the prey’s blood on your muzzle, mousebrain.” He teased, gently pushing her side. “And you don’t smell of GorgeClan or their leader. Learn to groom your muzzle a bit better before you try to trick me.”

Briarstar made an ‘Oh’ noise and licked her paw to wipe off the blood that was dried to her muzzle. 

She then glanced down to stare at the mouse that laid at her paws. Rowanheart grabbed the mouse with his paw and pushed it towards her. “Go on.” He urged. “I have a feeling you didn’t have a single bite of your own catches while out today.”

He knew her too well.

The she-cat wouldn’t dare break the warrior code to selfishly feed herself before the rest of her Clan. As the tom continued to stare at her with narrowed eyes, she sighed in defeat and took a tentative bite out of the mouse. 

Those small bites soon turned to full on gulps and she devoured the mouse in just a few moments, Rowanheart purring contently beside her. As she took one last bite, the black and white tom ran his tongue across her ear. Briarstar retaliated with a lick on his shoulder, the prey sinking comfortably in her belly. This soon turned into sharing tongues between the two cats which lasted for awhile. Briarstar had became tired after a while and settled down in her nest as he continued to groom her. The steady stroke of his tongue soon lulled her to sleep.


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th guys! Here's a new long chapter from the wonderful world of Warrior Cats! Remember, feedback is appreciated! Thanks<3

The tortoiseshell leader had awoke suddenly in a lush green clearing, the tall grass swishing with the invisible cold breeze. A clear full moon sat high in the dark blue sky, stars sparkling all around it. Rising to her paws, the tortoiseshell she-cat glanced around, looking for cats. She had soon realized that she was back in StarClan when she saw a few stars soaring down from the dark sky. A particularly bright star shone so bright in her eyes that she had to squeeze them shut. She could still see the light behind her eyelids and as it grew dimmer, she squinted to see. Joy immediately filled her body when a white ghost of a cat appeared in front of her, their blue eyes shining.

“Cloudfoot!” She just about screamed before hurdling herself on top of the wispy figure.

Her dead mate let out a purr at her attempts to greet him and placed his transparent paws on her chest, gently pushing her off of him. His pure white pelt was blinding to look at but Briarstar remained determined and slowly allowed her eyes to adjust on him. 

“Why haven’t you visited me until now?” She demanded once she got her vision straight. “I was a bit worried when only Hollystar came to me, when you had promised to see me again.”

Cloudfoot chuckled at her concern and brushed his tail along her chin which felt like a gentle mist against her fur. “My love, I've been watching over you this entire time.” He said, every word spoken like a whisper. 

“I have only had the opportunity to visit you just now as you've been very busy with MoonClan and I didn't want to interfere. As you are leader, I can understand that you have many responsibilities, and getting distracted by your mate would not help in any way.”

Briarstar tilted her head to the side and absentmindedly ran her paw through a blade of grass. “So why visit me now?”

Cloudfoot’s bright blue eyes clouded over with worry. His stance noticeably stiffened as he sighed, “There is deep danger arising within the Clans, Briarstar.” 

“Hollystar has already visited and delivered you the dark prophecy. Darkness lies within, allies will become enemies and blood will be shed for the light to shine once again. StarClan believes you hold the power to decipher this prophecy. Have you had any idea of what this could mean?”

Briarstar shook her head, recalling the words spoken by her past leader. “I have yet to figure out what it means, yet.” She confessed, tearing up the blade of grass in frustration. “StarClan can't expect me to lead MoonClan and figure out all this out on my own! There’s enough weight on my shoulders as it is!” 

The leader closed her eyes and turned away from her mate with a loud exhale of breath. Noticing his mate’s despair, the wispy white tom ran his muzzle across hers and came around to purr in her ear. “We can only hope it won't be long now until this will all make sense.” He whispered, his voice fading.

Briarstar opened her eyes to see his body fading as well and let out a small sniffle. “Why must you go so soon?” She demanded with a whine.

Cloudfoot just glanced at her sadly as the remaining part of his wispy form faded away into the darkness. The tortoiseshell let out a soft yowl as she was jolted back into consciousness, back inside her nest. Rowanheart’s body was pressed against her’s as his snores echoed around the cave. She glanced at the mouth of the cave and noticed that the sun was now setting. The patrols would all be returning soon for the evening, and her Clan would be waiting for her to choose which cats to go to the gathering. Letting out a groan, the leader stood up and padded out of her cave, careful not to disrupt her sleeping friend on the way out. 

The clearing was calm, only a few cats came to rest outside in the remaining sunlight. Purple clouds dotted in the orange sky above, the trees dancing with the wind beneath it. The leader’s ears flickered at the sound of heavy pawsteps approaching and saw Duskcloud diving down from the camp’s entrance, his patrol consisting of Flameheart, Echospirit, and Sunstripe scrambling down the pebbles behind him. The black tom shook out his pelt and nodded to his patrol, dismissing them for the evening before padding over to the fresh-kill-pile. The tom looked exhausted from the hard and repetitive work he’s been doing and the leader couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. 

Briarstar felt as if she hadn’t been doing even half the work he had been doing for the Clan in the past few weeks.

‘That’s his fault for wanting to have more patrols.’ Her mind argued as she watched her deputy lay beside Flameheart with a mouse at his paws. ‘He put this on himself so let him deal with it.’ She shook away the harsh thoughts and padded along.

Soon after that, Briarstar spotted Reedtail from on top of the camp’s entrance and watched as he leapt down the pebbles and landed softly inside the clearing. Amberstone and their two apprentices weren’t too far behind him, each holding a bit of prey. The leader decided to approach them, her tail waving calmly behind her to make herself seen clearly. Amberstone dipped her head in greeting and stepped around her to deposit her prey on the pile. The two apprentices bowed to her and Briarstar flicked her tail downward, ordering them to sit. They sat instantly and dropped their prey to the ground, Toadpaw’s face serious while Finchpaw looked a bit worried.

“Whatever I did, Briarstar, I’m so sorry-” Finchpaw began but the leader cut him off.

“You’ve done nothing wrong.” She assured, gently. “I’m just impressed with your hunting skills as it’s Leafbare and you two have still managed to bring back many mouthfuls of prey.”

She glanced at both of their catches with pride swelling in her chest. “You both deserve to go to the gathering tonight so eat up and get some rest before we leave.”

Finchpaw had brightened up instantly at her compliments and gazed at her with his wide blue eyes. “The gathering?” He whispered in awe-struck.

Briarstar realized with joy that this would be the gray tom’s first gathering! He had to stay back the moon before because of his injuries, but now, he was strong enough to make the journey to the gathering place.

Toadpaw bumped against his side. “Yeah, you’ll get to meet the other Clan’s apprentices there.” He informed his clanmate. “I don’t recommend talking to HazeClan though, as they all seem to have something up their tails these days.”

Briarstar didn’t disagree with the young tom’s insult and nodded. “Yes Finchpaw, you may have been too young to remember, but about 3 or 4 moons ago, HazeClan attacked us. We aren’t on good terms with them, yet, so just be careful around their cats.”

Briarstar took a pause and looked directly at the younger apprentice.“You should be wary around RainClan as well, as you should already know.”

Finchpaw glanced down at his scars from the RainClan deputy and shivered slightly as if he was remembering her claws digging into his skin once more. The scars were still risen from his pelt but the fur around them had began to grow back a little. His whole pelt had grown fluffy for Leaf-Bare so it was hard to even see the scars unless someone was looking for them. He then met the older she-cat’s warm gaze and nodded silently in recognition. The leader tilted her head thoughtfully at him before backing away from the apprentices to let them eat. 

She turned swiftly on her paws and ran back over to HighStone to leap on top. Rowanheart had emerged from inside her cave with a stretch and trotted over to where the other warriors were gathering near the center of camp. Briarstar’s gaze traveled across the clearing until she locked eyes with her deputy and waved him up with her tail. He had since finished his mouse and was licking at his paws when he spotted the leader and darted over. 

The black tom leapt up beside her and she dipped her head to whisper, “I’m choosing who to go to this gathering, is everyone back from patrols?”

Duskcloud took a glance around the clearing before he nodded. The leader then turned to face the Clan. “All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather under the HighStone for a Clan meeting!”

The remaining cats emerged from their respective caves and gathered around the HighStone. She waited a few moments for the Clan to settle and stop talking and once everyone was present and paying attention, the leader shook out her ruffled fur and rose her head to speak.

“Good evening MoonClan, I have called you here as it’s the night of the gathering and I must choose who may attend.”

The group of cats all angled their ears, eager to hear if they would be going or not. “The cats I have chosen for this gathering are Duskcloud, Cinderfoot, Hawkpelt, Flameheart, Petalpool, Feathertail, Finchpaw, Toadpaw, and Sagepaw.” 

She called out and with each name spoken, said cat stood from the crowd and dipped their heads in respect of the leader’s choice. Tonight’s patrol was smaller than usual as she felt her clanmates needed to rest. A trek to the gathering place and back would only make them more exhausted and she needed the warriors she had to be strong for the weeks of training ahead of them.

“I would like Lionpaw and Bramblefall to be guarding the camp until we return.” She ordered with the brisk flick of her tail. From across the clearing, she could see Lionpaw rolling his eyes at her order but he didn’t speak up. 

The tom had recovered fully from his fall off the cliff almost a moon ago and was back to his arrogant self. Though, from what she's observed at their camp training sessions, he hadn’t been causing Hawkpelt too much trouble and had been improving in his battle training so at least he was getting somewhere. She could only hope it was because his concentration was back from being focused on that GorgeClan cat and now on his training to become a warrior.

“The cats that have been chosen should grab something to eat and rest before we leave. We shall leave camp just before MoonHigh.” Briarstar concluded.

With that, the clearing of cats separated to do the tasks that they were ordered to do and Briarstar turned to her deputy. She brushed her tail across his shoulder.

“That means you too.” She said in a teasing matter when he didn’t budge. “You’ve been on your paws so much that I’m pretty sure they’ll fall off if you don’t get some proper rest soon. Go and get some sleep and I’ll send someone to get you before we leave.”

The deputy opened his mouth to argue but the leader narrowed her eyes and sharply flicked her tail towards the warriors cave, effectively shutting him up. He followed her order with a small nod and leapt down from HighStone to trot over to the warriors cave, his body disappearing inside. The tortoiseshell she-cat licked one of her paws and drew it over her face, flattening down the fur there, then jumped down, landing directly in front of Swiftclaw. The large gray tom had a mouse in his jaws when he paused to dip his head to the leader before padding over to share with his mate. She figured he was grateful for not being chosen for this gathering as even he had began to limp from the constant patrols. That went for Rowanheart as well as he brushed past the leader to rest more in the warriors cave. 

Cinderfoot and Sagepaw had been treating many of the warriors for swollen or cut paw pads, and others for aching joints which it seemed like he was also suffering from. Briarstar’s mind was suddenly filled with the prophecy again as she glanced at the darkening sky. A uneasy feeling settled deep in her belly and for once, she came to dread the time of the gathering. RainClan and HazeClan were bound to cause more havoc tonight and she couldn’t feel anymore unprepared.

 

…  
The MoonClan cats traveled silently through their territory, their pelts blackened by the darkness of night. Briarstar led the small group down their well traveled path to the gathering place, Duskcloud matching her pace beside her, occasionally brushing against her side. The dread only grew in the pits of her belly as they approached the entrance of the gathering place. Twoleg monsters raced past at an alarming rate for this time at night, causing the leader to drop to the ground, her clanmates following her lead. Her heart pounded as another monster flew by just fox-lengths ahead and she gripped the dirt with her claws.

Once all was quiet, and all she could here were the whispers of the wind brushing through the trees, she stood up shakily and looked around. The monster path was clear and there were no twolegs in sight, but the sharp stench of the monsters still hung in the air. Silently, the leader crept towards the entrance to the tunnel that lead to the gathering place and halted at the mouth. With a quick sniff around the mouth of the tunnel to make sure no other threat was inside their gathering place, the leader used her tail to direct her clanmates to go ahead of her while she took watch from behind. 

Hawkpelt was the last cat before her and he paused to lick his mother’s cheek. “Is something wrong, mother?” He asked, worry in his voice. “You seem tense tonight.”

Briarstar shook her head and forced herself to appear unruffled in front of her son. She rested her tail on his back and purred. “Nothing more than usual, Hawkpelt.” She lied effortlessly. “Now go on, I’ll be right behind you.”

The tabby and white tom seemed to take her excuse and dived down into the tunnel after his clanmates. Briarstar let out a sigh and glanced around once more before heading down after him. As usual, the tunnel was a tight squeeze for her and it took some shimmying before she popped out at the bottom, her fur sticking up in all directions from the brambles. Shaking her fur back into place, she gazed around the clearing. Soon, she noticed that her Clan was first to arrive as the clearing around them was vacant. The stale stench of HazeClan still wafted in the air, but nothing was fresh. Briarstar let her Clan huddle where they wanted near the bramble walls while she padded over to the Leader’s branch. 

The wood creaked under her weight when she leapt on top which caused her to grip the bark with her claws in anxiety. ‘This branch breaking will be the least of my worries tonight.’ She thought with deprecation, glancing down at the seasons old branch under her paws. There were rustling noises sounding from the tunnel which caused the tortoiseshell to visibly tense. She waiting patiently for the next Clan to appear from the hole, her neck fur bristling slightly. 

With joy, she instantly recognized the gray body of Springstar and let her fur lie flat again. One by one, each member of GorgeClan’s patrol appeared from the dark tunnel and padded over to the MoonClan cats to greet. Briarstar could see from on top of the branch that Applepaw was among the cats and scrunched her nose up. The leader narrowed her eyes as the young she-cat seemingly looked around for Lionpaw before realizing he wasn’t present. She had sighed and settled quietly next to the other apprentices while they chatted excitedly around her. Briarstar shook her head at the black and brown she-cat’s curiosity and glanced at her clanmates.

Falconwing was across from Applepaw, his red tabby pelt dappled in the moonlight as he stretched out his claws on an old branch. A pretty, gray tortoiseshell she-cat known as Bluetail sat beside Hawkpelt and Flameheart as they began eagerly chatting about something the leader couldn’t hear. Briarstar recalled that Bluetail had only a stub for a tail in which she had lost it from the jaws of a wolf as an apprentice. Her brother, Missingeye, lost his right eye, hence his name being changed to signify his brave battle with the wolves to protect his Clan. He, a dark brown tom, laid across from them, scratching at his ear absentmindedly. Briarstar had marveled him for his bravery for a long time and was envious of him and his sister for a few moons after the attack occurred. She was just an apprentice when they were awarded with the attention and admiration from cats of all Clans, while Briarstar was.

The leader sharply turned her head as she heard a creak in the branch from beside her. Springstar had leapt up and was purring in a friendly greeting. “Good evening, Briarstar” She meowed happily. “How have you been handling being leader for this past moon?”

As the tortoiseshell opened her mouth to reply, a series of hisses erupted from around them. The unmistakable musky scent of HazeClan filtered into the clearing and Briarstar gripped the branch harder in her claws, ignoring Springstar’s previous question.

Webstar had stepped out confidently from the tunnel, his white and brown pelt glowing under the moonlight. The patrol of HazeClan cats came pouring out from behind him, each wearing a dangerous glare on their faces. Their slim bodies darted across the clearing to settle in the shadows of the brambles and hissed out at the other two Clans. Briarstar let out a shaky breath as she spotted Fallenleaf padding in step beside Webstar, his thick coat fluffed up in defense at the other Clan’s glares. She couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous as he sat under the Leader’s branch and watched as Duskcloud scooted away from him, narrowing his eyes in question. 

‘’Where is Stormblaze?’ Her mind questioned as the golden tom swept his glare around the clearing. ‘He should be here, not that tyrant!’

As she continued looking at the HazeClan cats, she noticed that Spiderclaw wasn’t present either. The black she-cat was nowhere in the shadows where their Clan liked to settle, but her sister Vipertooth and mother Ivypelt were sat side by side, worry brimming in their eyes. This was disguised by their signature glare, but their distress was easy to read for the MoonClan cat.

‘Spiderclaw must have fallen ill for her to be absent from the gathering.’ She assumed, flicking her tail out behind her, only telling herself this to relief a bit if her internal concern. 

Medicine cats never missed gatherings, so deep concern for the black she-cat rose in Briarstar’s chest. As rude and sharp-tongued the she-cat was, the leader recognized that she still was an important member of her Clan and would be too valuable for them to lose, especially since she hadn’t taken on an apprentice to train. HazeClan looked weak without their healer, which Webstar must have known, yet he still came to the gathering without her, looking confident as ever. Even his clanmates seemed a bit off from their normal fierce attitude, but he remained calm and Briarstar hoped that would explain his medicine cat’s absence in his report.

The branch creaked again, breaking Briarstar from her questioning gaze and she looked over to see the HazeClan leader, swiping a large paw over his face. The leader looked noticeably grim, his whiskers drooping as he observed the clearing silently. 

Attempting to be civil, the MoonClan leader dipped her head in greeting and gave the tom a small smile. “Evening Webstar.” She said tentatively. “How’s everything running in HazeClan?”

The white and brown tom slowly turned to face her, his tail twitching irritably as if he didn’t want to be talked to. “We’re fine.” He rasped, not even giving her eye contact before facing the crowd again.

Briarstar could tell that the tom was tense about something but decided not to question him any further as she didn’t want to upset him. She instead sighed in rejection and Springstar gave her sympathetic look. 

Springstar’s blue eyes glowed under the dull shine of the moon that was high in the dark sky. She was the youngest of all the leaders, in age, which made her more admirable in Briarstar’s opinion as she handled the stress of leadership relatively well in her young life. 

“So, you’re handling leadership alright?” The gray she-cat repeated with the slight tilt of her head.

The tortoiseshell just shrugged her shoulders, not really wanting to delve into her first moon of leadership to the other leader. Her clanmates were one thing, but dealing with a prophecy from StarClan that laid heavily on her shoulders was a totally different situation in which the other leader most likely couldn’t relate to.

The GorgeClan leader brushed her tail across her back in a calming gesture. “I’m sure you did your best, even if things haven’t gone your way this moon.” She assured in a voice that reminded her of Hollystar; calm and soothing. “That’s all any of us can do when dealing with our Clans.” 

The MoonClan leader let her senses wander and spaced out from Springstar warm gestures. The cats that were spread across the clearing were all chatting excitedly with each other, gossiping about clan life and how their past moon has been. The apprentices were scuffling playfully with each other while the medicine cats shared tongues.

Briarstar sometimes wished that she could just gossip absentmindedly with the other Clan cats again and not worry about the responsibility of addressing all the cats at once. She shook away that thought as she realized she had made the commitment to lead her Clan and would try her hardest to guide them in the right path.

The tortoiseshell she-cat turned back towards the other leaders and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I have something to tell you, when the gathering is over.” She told Springstar, catching Applepaw pouting from the corner of her eye.

Springstar looked partially concerned at hearing this but she remained calm as she gave the other leader a small nod. “We can meet in private near those bushes after the gathering, if you would like.” She offered pointing with her tail to a cluster of bushes at the edge of the clearing. 

Briarstar purred at the she-cat’s willingness to meet and nodded.

Finally, RainClan had arrived at the gathering place, Boulderstar landing heavily in the clearing from the tunnel. The old tom came limping across the clearing with Nightfrost and Splashfur on either side of him and the rest of his patrol filtering around the clearing to sit with their friends.

‘So she has finally recovered.’ Briarstar observed, watching as the trio of RainClan cats approached the Leader’s branch at a steady pace. 

The light brown she-cat showed no pain as she helped her leader to the Leader’s branch, her face screwed in unmistakable determination. Deep scars that had scabbed over rose out from around her entire pelt, giving her a battered state. This let the MoonClan leader know that she did well in defending her territory and purred in content. She watched as Splashfur whispered something harshly at her leader before he sighed and sat down beside her. She assumed that the old tom was too weak to make the jump up onto the branch as he greeted the other deputies around him. She then glanced up and caught Briarstar’s eye. Her face contorted into hard, boiling, anger but she remained still, sitting beside her leader. Her face and bunched muscles showed that she was ready to fight, but she held back. 

Even she wouldn’t go against StarClan and fight at the gathering, right?

The MoonClan leader jumped in surprise as Webstar’s deafening yowl rang out from across the branch, silencing the entire clearing of cats. The white and brown tom sat stiffly on the branch as he watched the crowd face him and the other leaders, his claws dragging out on the wood.

“The gathering will now start.” He yowled. “HazeClan has nothing much to report for this moon. We are growing low on water in our territory and the prey is going with it. So I’ve decided, until our water is replenished, we will start collecting water and hunting near the stream that marks the border with MoonClan.”

He hissed out the Clan’s name with venom as he slowly turned his head to face Briarstar. “That won't be a problem, will it?” He demanded, masking his brooding appearance with fake civility.

Briarstar's fur bristled slightly at his tone but she dipped her head calmly. “MoonClan will cause no trouble as long as you stay on your side of the border, Webstar.” She replied, meet his burning gaze evenly. “The stream is meant to be shared with no fighting so I won't object the peace.”

Webstar hummed at her courtesy and whipped his head back around to look down at the clearing of cats. His stance noticeably relaxed as he dipped his head and let out a broken sigh. 

“It pains me to announce this next topic. My loyal deputy and most senior warrior, Stormblaze, has passed away a few sunrises ago. His body was found deep in our territory, mangled from what we think was a fox or wolf.”

The clearing went silent at his news. 

A gasp was caught in the MoonClan leader’s throat as she heard the white tom let out a sniffle. Something other than his normal rage and hostility was a surprise to any cat. Stormblaze was a formidable warrior in battle and in general, and he was valuable to HazeClan, so this was a huge loss on their part. Springstar had heard him as well and she cautiously placed her paw on his for comfort, but she hoovered it, ready to pull away quickly if he had decided to go after her. Webstar had let out another sniffle and brushed off the effort of comfort from the other leader with his tail. 

“HazeClan will surely miss him if no one else will.” He continued after a moment of silence for his deputy. “I have already chosen his successor as I believe he should’ve been the deputy all along.” That next sentence sounded forced to Briarstar’s ears but decided smartly not to question him.

The white tom directed everyone’s attention to the golden tom who sat smugly under him. “Fallenleaf.”

To say Briarstar was surprised would be a lie as the MoonClan leader had expected him to become deputy after Stormblaze became leader. The golden tom had always held a strong bond with each of his Clan’s leaders, and time after time, he had seeked to become their successor. 

‘Poor Stormblaze, why did you have to die now?’ She wanted to wail out loud but bit her tongue in order to remain composed in front of the Clans. 

Stormblaze had been a reasonable cat, despite being a HazeClan warrior, and usually didn’t resort to immediate violence unless instructed so by his leader. He was the type of cat that Briarstar thought Fallenleaf despised as the two toms often argued at several border disputes about whether to fight or not with MoonClan; Stormblaze was typically on the non fighting side for the majority of the time. 

With him now dead, there would be no stopping the golden warrior from fighting at any simple dispute as he would now be in charge of patrols.

‘Fallenleaf and Webstar are going to kill us all!’ The tortoiseshell she-cat internally panicked.

Her heart rate quickened as she noticed a few cats around the clearing beginning to meow anxiously to each other about Webstar’s choice in deputy. Her own Clan, as obvious, seemed nervous as they glanced between one another, fear in their eyes of the golden warrior. She was thankful at the moment that her most aggressive warriors were back at camp. She was sure they would have something to say about the new deputy, which wouldn’t be good for either Clan. Swiftclaw popped up in her mind as someone who would’ve launched himself at the HazeClan leader if he was there to hear the news himself. Briarstar dug her claws deeper into the bark just thinking about the situation.

Webstar’s abrupt yowl shook her from her thoughts and brought her back to the gathering. “That is all I have to say for HazeClan.” He said before tossing the opportunity to speak to the other leaders.

Briarstar had opened her mouth to question Spiderclaw’s absence, but Splashfur had hopped to her paws faster. She jumped up on the Leader’s branch, standing on the other side of Webstar. Her scarred pelt glittered like stripes under the full moon as she faced the Clans with determination buried in her blue gaze.

“Greetings cats from all the Clans.” Splashfur yowled out to the clearing of cats.

A sudden gust of wind send the she-cat’s fur blowing, showing off more of her scars, giving her a more menacing look as she stared out at the crowd. The deputy’s crooked whiskers twitched in content as she gained attention of all the cats. They, including Briarstar, were all wondering why she was speaking for RainClan when Boulderstar was present. 

“We gather on this full moon night to honor our ancestors in StarClan to share peacefully our news between Clans.” She went on. 

Briarstar snorted quietly at the use of the word ‘peaceful’ by the she-cat as she has been the opposite of that for as long as she could remember. She glanced around quickly to make sure no one had heard and shrunk back when she saw Splashfur sending her a sideways glare before continuing her report.

“RainClan’s great and once powerful leader, Boulderstar, has made his decision that on this night, in the moment of his last breaths, he would like to die under the eyes of all the Clans.”

Alarm and question immediately spread through Briarstar as the deputy uttered these words and she glanced down at the RainClan leader. He looked like a skeleton with a thin layer of gray pelt covering him as he sat among the deputies, wheezing lowly. 

‘They must have dragged him here if he’s as close to dying as she says.’ Briarstar thought as Splashfur jumped down beside the fragile leader again.

As she nudged the tom harshly with her paw, the MoonClan leader could see Duskcloud and Runningpelt whispering anxiously to each other while Fallenleaf green glare swept over the old tom’s shaking body with what looked to be excitement in his eyes. Boulderstar rose shakily to his paws at his deputy’s harsh gesture and mustered up the strength to speak loudly to the clearing of cats.

“With my last breaths not too far ahead of me, I have requested that cats from my birth Clan to send me to StarClan with a Ritual of Mutual Passing.” He rasped out.

Sharps intakes of breaths, noises of disbelief and hums of confusion all swirled around the clearing from the Clan cats at hearing his request. The Ritual of Mutual Passing was an ancient ceremony that many of the original warriors performed when they first traveled to the mountains. The ritual was brought upon the noblest of cats who were close to death but didn’t want to pass by just consented suicide at ElderRock. This ritual entailed the chosen cat saying their last words to their Clan and StarClan themselves before cats from their Clan would hold them down and end their lives. MoonClan hadn’t taken apart in this ancient ritual since the death of Wolffang, one of the Clan’s bravest warriors. He had requested the ritual when he broke his back after getting caught in the jaws of a wolf, coincidentally enough. 

Briarstar herself hadn’t seen the ceremony in seasons and many of the cats in the clearing seemed a bit wary or confused about the ritual itself. Eyes shifted nervously from cat to cat, each holding a different look of confusion or question as Boulderstar made his way to the center of the clearing, Splashfur and Nightfrost flanking him to help keep his balance. Once the cats made it to where the moon shined the brightest through the overgrown bramble roof, they halted and Boulderstar rose his head to the sky. “It is my time to say farewell to life here as a leader and say hello to my new home in StarClan.” He yowled, his pelt prickling like a porcupine.

The younger cats all looked on, curiosity in their wide gazes as they had never seen or probably heard of this ritual. She could see Finchpaw, Toadpaw, and Applepaw all meowing excitedly to each other, most likely coming up with what they the ceremony was in their minds. Briarstar was the opposite of intrigued as she knew what brutal scene that was soon to happen in front of their innocent eyes. 

At the flick of Nightfrost’s black tail, three more RainClan cats approached as if they had rehearsed this, which made the MoonClan leader slightly sick to her stomach. The cat’s faces were cold with no emotion as they circled around their dying leader, claws unsheathed and tails lashing with anticipation. A rumble of a purr was heard from Webstar’s throat as he watched with sicking interest at the ceremony, his new deputy showing the same motives with his tail waving eagerly. This surprised Briarstar as the two leaders had always been friendly to each other, but that could’ve been an act on Webstar’s part as he could be a convincing tom when it was convenient to him and his Clan.

Springstar had her head bowed and eyes shut tight as she couldn’t bare to witness the ritual for the first time in her young life. The tortoiseshell she-cat felt bad for her as she quietly prayed to StarClan for the ritual to be over quickly.

Splashfur nodded her head to her clanmates and with blinding speed, they lunged to tackle the old leader onto his side. The others followed suit and each grabbed ahold of a part of the tom in their claws. Once he was properly restrained, Splashfur took her position at his neck and placed one of her paws at his throat. Boulderstar opened his mouth one last time as if he was going to change his mind but, with no remorse, his deputy pushed his muzzle into the dirt. 

Sounds of worry and mews of sadness left the mouths of cats as the deputy leaned down slowly to her leader’s neck with bared teeth. Apprentices were shushed curtly by older warriors when they voiced their concern, while younger warriors watched silently in shock as Splashfur sunk her sharp teeth into Boulderstar’s neck, ending his last life with a bone crushing bite.


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnddd I'm, back with another update!! Whoever is reading this, thank you for coming back and please remember to leave me a comment or kudos if you enjoyed or have some type of criticism!

Splashfur held onto her leader’s throat for several long heartbeats as if she was holding a delicious piece of prey, blood bubbling up and covering her whole face and muzzle. Her bright blue eyes were stone cold and every hair on her light brown pelt was pointed in iniquitous excitement. Briarstar swallowed the vile that rose in her throat once the she-cat finally let go of the now dead tom and let his body flop to the cold ground, his head lolling over awkwardly to the side. 

The MoonClan leader regretted glancing around as she saw that many of the Clan cats were vomiting from the scene, while others cried into the pelts of their friends. She could see the apprentices staring at the evil deputy with large, frightened eyes and whimpered sadly to herself as she believed that they didn’t deserve to see such a cruel ritual with their young eyes. Briarstar let out a small sigh of relief when she spotted Falconwing and Bluetail comforting them with gentle licks between their ears. Missingeye was sat beside his sister, his one yellow eye glaring straight at the RainClan deputy with glowing anger. 

She glanced back at the leaders who were sat beside her and saw that Springstar was hiding her face with one of her paws. The she-cat was shivering as well, which could have been from the temperature drop in the night, or the more likely reason, provoked by the shock of seeing such a scene of horror happen before her. On the contrary, Webstar seemed pleased with the events that just occurred. He held a cruel smile on his face, his previous tone of sadness gone with the wind. 

The MoonClan leader even swore she heard him whisper ‘Good riddance,’ under his breath that went along with a roll of his brown eyes.

Briarstar wasn’t surprised at his lack of respect, as the members of HazeClan always saw death as something promising as they had the hardest lives within the Clans. For seasons, their Clan was known as a dexterous, high-spirited group of cats who were smart in their ways in getting what they wanted, but that didn’t always lead to bloodshed. HazeClan was now bend by their war driven, ruthless leader, who cared nothing about any of the other Clan’s well-beings. He generally thought that his Clan could get whatever they wanted by force, or that many lives can be easily sacrificed just to prove a point. Most times, the point is on getting rid of the kittypets which makes MoonClan their main target.

Briarstar yearned for the past leader of HazeClan, Nettlestar, to be alive once more as she, maybe wasn’t the nicest she-cat, but was taut and held a purpose for everything she did. Her Clan was mysterious and was respected for as long as Briarstar remembered. Until Webstar gets a grip on how to properly communicate with others, he will never shape up to be the best leader he could be in her eyes.

The MoonClan leader watched in silence as the RainClan cats dragged the lifeless body of their leader to the edge of the clearing, all under the watchful eyes of the rest of the cats. RainClan’s medicine cat, a mottled gray tom named Mosspelt, trailed behind them, his ears drawn back in submission. They all turned and sat around the body with their backs facing Boulderstar and looked to their deputy for the next order. It was if they were disciplined heavily on this ritual, most likely without Boulderstar’s knowing as he himself despised when cats were dragged away from their normal duties for something less important. 

Now that she thought about it, many of RainClan’s recent actions such as hunting over their border in MoonClan territory didn’t seem like something Boulderstar would tolerate after his promise at the last gathering. Even Briarstar knew that the old leader generally kept his word on what he promised. Splashfur was probably managing the Clan instead of her leader for awhile now and was most likely telling them to hunt in Moonclan territory! She felt a new sense of awareness and indignation light inside her as she realized what the light brown she-cat had probably been doing for the past few moons.

Another uneasy feeling fluttered in Briarstar’s stomach though as her eyes focused back on the RainClan deputy who was licking the blood from her lips. Her blue eyes were wild and her claws remained unsheathed as she slowly staggered her way back the Leader’s branch. Everyone watched her cross the clearing, different stages of either appall or fear struck across their faces, including Briarstar herself. She leapt up on the far end from where the other leaders sat and began to wash her blood soaked face while the cats around her grimaced. No cat usually enjoyed killing another so much to lick the blood that was spilled away with such pleasure. She acted as if she had just caught the plumpest squirrel in all the land and was trying to salvage the taste long after it was gone! Briarstar could only think of this act as ‘Savage’ as the deputy began to speak again.

“I, Splashfur am now the new leader of RainClan and Nightfrost shall be by deputy.” She proclaimed to the stunned clearing of cats. “I will rule RainClan with tooth and claw and we shall rise to be the best Clan this forest has even known, finally without that old badger getting in the way!”

At that statement, yowls filled with outrage came from the majority of the cats in the clearing, clearly disagreeing with her words. They shook off the previous shock and replaced it with pure anger towards the RainClan cat. HazeClan cats even emerged from the shadows, tails lashing and claws sharpened at her declarement. Briarstar felt a bit of fire light inside her at the she-cat’s outrageous statement. Boulderstar may have not made all the best decisions in his old age, but he was still a well respected and popular leader, and it was a surprise to hear that his deputy would speak such disdain about him, especially after murdering him.

As she glanced back at the other leaders, she saw that Webstar’s face had turned ruinous as he whipped his head around to hiss at the light brown she-cat. “HazeClan has been nothing but civil to RainClan for seasons, Splashfur.” He spat, his brown eyes ablaze. “Boulderstar was a noble cat for all of his life, and he was admittedly older than most leaders were before they passed. Near the end of his rule, he made a lot of stupid decisions about how he lead RainClan, many I didn’t agree on.”

He stepped dangerously closer to the other she-cat. “But you, his deputy, his second in command, can’t just bring him here, kill him in front of all of us, and expect us to fall at your paws as if we were your servants.”

The white tom then gestured out to the crowd with one claw. “For StarClan’s sake, you haven’t even given him a proper burial or vigil to signify his long life before you started preaching you tyrancey to the stars!”

Briarstar was shocked to hear that the HazeClan leader was taking up for the cat he had just previously cursed under his breath. He was being a paradox to his usual self. This thought rattled uncomfortably with the she-cat as she has never seen the brutal tom defend another Clan which such intensity in his voice.

She couldn’t help but feel that the tom was hiding something behind his defensive tone but decided not to intervene as she didn't want her tail shredded tonight.

“With all that being said, I’d like to see you try and defeat HazeClan.” Webstar challenged, spit flying out through his sharp bared teeth. “Without Boulderstar, you wouldn’t even know where to start on your so called ‘Rule over the Clans,’ you pathetic excuse for a deputy!”

Splashfur wasn’t even fazed by the larger tom’s condescending stance as she just stepped closer to him, blood still dripping down her chin.“You were just Boulderstar’s friend because he saved Nettlestar’s pathetic life all that time ago!” She pointed out, her neck fur standing on edge in fury. 

It was no secret within the Clans that Webstar and HazeClan had felt indebted to RainClan when Boulderstar had rescued their previous leader, Nettlestar, from her death many many moons ago. Splashfur just seemed to be bringing it back up to justify herself along with her outrageous claims. 

“Now that both of them are dead, the first thing I shall do is break that bond between us.” She continued to yowl out. “All the Clans shall fend for themselves. RainClan will fight any Clan who opposes to my rule and I’ll beat you into submission if I have to.” 

Briarstar’s fur bristled uncomfortably at her absurd demands. The she-cat was spewing nonsense to their ears! StarClan wouldn’t want the Clans all turning on each other for nothing but just power! If anything, the ancient warriors would want them to join together as one as they were all just cats under StarClan. She glanced quickly at the sky and saw a few clouds drifting over the full moon, meaning that StarClan was growing with angry with the scene. Her chest felt even heavier at seeing this and just hoped that they wouldn’t feel the need to strike down on the cats at the gathering. 

With an unsettled huff, she turned back to the branch of bristling leaders. Surprising, Springstar had spoke up next while Webstar was glaring elsewhere. “You won’t be half the leader that Boulderstar with that attitude.” She hissed out, her voice curt with burning anger. 

“Look what you’ve done here." The gray leader accused pointedly. "All of these cats have witnessed the murder of a great leader by his selfish and conniving deputy. You don’t deserve to be leader. You don’t even deserve to go to StarClan! Worst of all, you don’t seem to care one bit about your clanmates, do you? Because if you did, you would be thinking with your mind and not your claws!”

As the pale brown RainClan cat threatened to open her mouth, Springstar swiftly shook her head and lowered her voice, “Splashfur, do you not see that the temptation of being in the position of leadership has made you selfish and greedy for power? I can conclude that you’ve ruined your sense to sympathize with the deaths of your clanmates just because you are in a more powerful position than them.”

The light brown she-cat hissed at the other leader’s accusations and raised her hackles as if she was going to pounce. “Says you, I didn’t see you shed a single tear when your precious Ravenstar died, over a season ago!” She spat back, getting some blood on the other leader’s face.

That ignited something in the GorgeClan leader. Springstar’s blue eyes were blazing as she let out a threatening growl and crouched down as well. Smartly, Webstar had backed away from the feuding she-cats and Briarstar glanced around the clearing after hearing a distant yowl.

Nightfrost had jumped to her paws to defend her, seemingly insane clanmate, but no one in the crowd was paying enough attention to hear her. The cats around the gathering place were hissing and spitting at each other, the majority of them circling around the RainClan cats. The few cats that were guarding Boulderstar’s body were up and ready to fight while the rest of their Clan looked hopeless at being outnumbered by the rest of the Clans. Dustfern was among those cats and his black tabby pelt was rigid against his spine as he bared his dirty fangs to the crowd. His wide yellow eyes gave away his actual fear though.

The group of apprentices scattered except for a gray and black spotted RainClan tom that was ducking behind Toadpaw for safety. Hawkpelt had his chest puffed out, but his claws remained sheathed as he stayed remarkably calm despite the conflict going on around him. Briarstar was expecting to see Falconwing cowering behind someone, but he, Bluetail, and Missingeye had stood to create a barrier around the remaining apprentices while the Clans disputed from nearby.

Vipertooth had somehow maneuvered her way across the clearing without Briarstar seeing until she turned her head when hearing a deafening yowl. The pale tortoiseshell she-cat had ran head on at the black she-cat under the branch and went to surprise attack her, but the RainClan cat was ready for her. As Vipertooth jumped on her, the black she-cat fell over purposely. She got hold of her flank briefly with her claws but she lost her hold when the RainClan cat rolled on her side to dislodge the slimmer she-cat. Nightfrost then hissed and bared her teeth to dig them into her neck before the MoonClan leader interrupted.

“Stop this!” Briarstar screeched before the black she-cat could bite down.

Surprisingly, the majority of the cats below her lowered their claws and snapped their heads up to look at the MoonClan leader. Nightfrost had held herself back, jumping away and crouching down in the fighting crouch as Vipertooth lashed her tail out in front of her. The pale tortoiseshell she-cat’s ribs were present as her back arched against the light of the moon, giving the leader an idea on how bad of condition HazeClan was in to be fighting like this. The poor Clan must have been so desperate to show that they were still strong and determined to challenge anyone who seemed to doubt their power.

“Stop all of this, right now!” She said again. “StarClan has been angered by this scene you all are causing. Look up at the moon!” The leader directed everyone’s attention with her tail to the clouds that had moved over the full moon.

A collective gasp escaped the mouths of the cats in the clearing. Splashfur scoffed out loud once they were silenced in shock and jumped down from the branch. She flicked her tail to her clanmates who were already starting to gather around the tunnel, their eyes still a bit panicked from being ganged up on. 

“RainClan is leaving this pitiful gathering.” She announced with a cracking voice. “We are bringing Boulderstar to the Elder Rock and then I shall travel to StoneFalls at dawn to receive my lives, with or without your support.”

The tortoiseshell she-cat ears had twitched at the sound of Webstar growling across from her. “If you think after that scene, that I’ll allow you to travel through my territory, then you are highly mistaken.” He hissed with narrowed eyes. “My cats will kill you if you step one paw across our border, I’ll make sure of that.”

Briarstar shuddered at his threat towards the light brown she-cat but she remained unfazed as she dipped her head. “We'll find another way, don't worry.” She promised, her sharp fangs bared. She held a strong gaze with him before turning and bounding up the tunnel, her clanmates scrambling up her behind. 

A few cats hung back to help drag Boulderstar’s body up the tunnel, one being Nightfrost. She glared her icy blues at everyone watching them as they struggled to force the large limp body up the tunnel. Eventually, the gray and white body was shoved up with the efforts of his clanmates and RainClan was gone. The clearing noticeably calmed after a long pause of silence when the RainClan cats had disappeared, but the tension was still thick in the air as the GorgeClan leader yowled out to gain everyone’s attention once more. Springstar gave her pelt a few licks to calm herself and let out a sigh. 

“We shall continue this gathering quickly and leave once we have all finished speaking for our Clans.” She announced, visibly shaken but calmer than most likely anyone else in the clearing. “StarClan is angered by the scene RainClan has called so we shall hurry on with our remaining announcements before they decide to strike down.”

The MoonClan leader was a bit envious at the gray she-cat’s ability to regain her composure from after what had all just happened. She herself was still envisioning Boulderstar’s dead body being dragged across the clearing by his clanmates, Splashfur grinning with a wicked smile while blood dripped down from her muzzle.

Briarstar had barely heard what the leader had to report other than the mention of another wolf in their territory that they had to get rid of. Soon enough, it was time for her to speak for MoonClan and her throat had never felt more tight. 

Her pelt itched like ants were crawling on her and her paws kept kneading at the branch in anxiety as she tried to come up with something to report for her Clan. “MoonClan has nothing to report for this gathering.” She said, her mind a blur. “Sorry.”

Webstar shook his head at the lack of a report for MoonClan and leapt down from the branch. He and Fallenleaf glanced at each other and then back up at the other leaders, the golden warrior’s green gaze burning with fire. He stared straight at Briarstar, and for a few moments she had lost her breath from the intensity of his green glare.

Soon, he turned back around to follow behind Webstar, his bushy tail still twitching behind him. They padded away to their clanmates and the slim HazeClan cats all left the gathering place without another word spoken from any of them. 

Briarstar was relieved that the two warriors and the whole of HazeClan didn’t provoke her tonight as they usually did, but the scene with Splashfur still had her fur ruffled. Springstar gave her another sympathetic glance before jumping down after the HazeClan leader. The MoonClan leader knew that having nothing to say for her Clan made them appear weaker, which her Clan was already seen as from the other Clans. Tonight was a disaster in every way. Flushing with embarrassment, the tortoiseshell she-cat hurriedly scrambled off the branch and rushed over to her clanmates who were already separating from their friends. 

Hawkpelt greeted her first, gently resting his head on her shoulder. “These gatherings have always been interesting, but I’d never think that I’d see the day where a leader was murdered in front of all of us, by his own deputy nonetheless.” He recapped unhelpfully. 

That did nothing to settle her busy mind and just caused her to let her head droop down in mental exhaustion.

“This will be something the Clans will have scratched into their minds for awhile.” He went on before turning and noticing his mother’s worn out stance. “Mother, will you be alright to make it home tonight?”

Hawkpelt curled up beside her and poked his head under her chin as if he was a small kit again. Briarstar licked her son’s head, appreciating his comfort, and pulled away from the embrace. 

“I can make it back just fine.” She told him solemnly. “I just need a few moments to process what just happened, you know?” 

The leader laid down beside the tabby warrior and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, but after a few heartbeats, she gave up because it wasn’t helping. She glanced back up as Duskcloud approached and he leaned down to her level to whisper, “We’d better get going back to camp. Wouldn't want the rest of the Clan to be worrying about why we’re late.”

While the tom’s statement was correct, Briarstar couldn't help but feel a bit irritated with herself. She was the leader and she should be strong enough to lead her Clan, not rely on the deputy to make all the decisions. 

Even as she felt this, Briarstar couldn’t help but also feel a bit of pride on how far Duskcloud had came from the shy tom he was only a few moons ago. She realized that when the threat of battle came along, he stepped up began to take his deputyship seriously, which she appreciated. 

Briarstar just hoped that he would keep that confidence once the time of battle subsides and continue being the great deputy he’s become in this short amount of time. The tortoiseshell she-cat nodded to the black tom and slowly rose the her paws, Hawkpelt standing at her side. Briarstar took in the scene around her. 

Night grew cold as an icy wind rolled through the holes of the thick brambles surrounding the gathering place. Briarstar shivered through her fluffy coat and Hawkpelt pressed against her again for warmth. StarClan was very angry as seen by the puffy clouds that settled across the moon, which didn’t help Briarstar calm down from her flustered state.

Springstar was standing in front of her own clanmates, talking to them in what looked to be a whisper that was out of earshot of Briarstar. Her deputy, Runningpelt was nodding along to whatever she was saying while the rest of them still appeared to be in shock. The gray she-cat then glanced over at the MoonClan cats and made like she was going to walk over but stopped herself when the tortoiseshell leader shook her head. She was in no mood to confront the leader originally about Applepaw and Lionpaw’s debauchery and decided that she would just make the trek to GorgeClan herself if another problem arose between them. 

Springstar gave the other leader a long look of question before nodding slowly. She whispered something to her deputy and soon, the brown and gray tom came padding over to her. Hawkpelt stepped up to her side again and held his head high in fierce protectiveness over his mother. The deputy stopped short a fox-length away from her and dipped his head respectfully.

“My leader sent me to tell you that she wanted to meet with you soon about your problem.” Runningpelt informed in a whisper, his pelt bristling. “Is the night of Half Moon alright with you?”

Briarstar, still shaken up, nodded silently and the tom ran off back to his Clan with her answer. Springstar and Runningpelt padded side by side to the tunnel, their clanmates following at a slower pace as they exited the gathering place together. Briarstar was prodded softly by the tail of Duskcloud and she spun around to see her Clan waiting for direction. Finchpaw and Sagepaw were both physically shaking while Toadpaw was staring at his paws, avoiding eye contact with everyone. The MoonClan leader let out a deep sigh and shook out her pelt. 

Briarstar promised herself that she wouldn’t let this incident get her down too much and led her Clan confidently out of the gathering place, a plan of vengeance on Splashfur brooding in her mind.


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo whatssup fellow Warrior Cats readers. I'm back with a new chapter of this fan-fiction. It'll get juicy next chapter but this one is still worth the read! Please leave me comments or Kudos to show your support of this story!

The patrol of MoonClan cats made it back to camp just as the sun was peeking over the horizon that next morning. Briarstar felt anxiety creep across her body as the thought of her plan against RainClan and the battle to come blew over her with the wind. She shook out her pelt and slid down the rocks into the clearing of camp. 

Briarstar turned to Duskcloud as they reached the clearing and silently signaled to him with the flick of her tail to the HighRock that she was going to rest. The black tom dipped his head and immediately went over to the cats that had journeyed to the gathering place, hopefully to send them to rest as well. A few cats that remained in camp during the night had noticed their arrival and approached them with inquisition about the night’s announcements, but before they could make it to her, the leader ducked straight into her cave. After the night’s events, and with all the things that were on her mind at the moment, she felt she had needed a full rest before she could address the Clan. 

Thankfully, they left her alone and nobody followed her as she paced inside to rest. The tortoiseshell she-cat sniffed out a freshly made nest from the darkness and settled down into it. Exhaustion and stress got to her causing her to immediately pass out.

...

It was just around Sunhigh when she was awakened from a fever dream by a paw shaking her. Briarstar’s dream was filled with splattered blood and terror as some dark figure swept through her foggy vision. The yowls of distant fighting cats rang in her ears as she slowly blinked her green eyes open. Her head was pounding and her paws ached as if she had ran to StoneFalls and back in one day with no breaks or food. 

Rowanheart was standing over her, his black and white pelt glowing from the brightness of the sun’s rays outside, and his paw on her flank, gently shaking her. “Hey, hey sleepyhead.” He whispered, once he noticed she was awake.

He removed his paw to sit down in front of her. “I heard about what happened last night at the gathering.” The worry was present in his glowing yellow eyes as he searched the leader’s face for consolidation. 

“Do you want to, maybe, try to talk about it with me or the Clan? I can tell you that everyone is a bit unsettled and confused on what to do since you’ve been away for the morning. Duskcloud tried to lead a patrol earlier, but no one wants to leave until you had spoke on the matter.”

Briarstar groaned as she rose to her paws and shook the nettles from her pelt. Her mind was still in a flurry as the black and white tom spoke to her, a mix of images of Splashfur and war running through her mind. 

After stiffening out a yawn, she met her friend’s gaze and dipped her head in understanding. She knew she had to address her Clan on the gathering’s events, it was just a matter of actually coming up with something articulate to say, what with her mind being frazzled from her confusing dreams and all.

The tortoiseshell she-cat flicked her tail out behind her as she exited the cave, signaling her clanmate to follow her outside. Rowanheart was right about the Clan being in a flurry, as the clearing of cats were all gathered outside her cave, chatting quickly with nervous hushed tones. 

The whole Clan was silenced as they took notice of their leader emerging from her cave and looked to her for explanation. She skimmed the crowd for her deputy and spotting him almost immediately as he hurriedly approached. Duskcloud looked mildly annoyed as he broke through the cats and faced his leader, tail twitching irritably behind him.

“No one will listen to me and go on patrols.” He hissed quietly so only she could hear. “They are all waiting for you to speak but I insisted that you needed your rest first-”

Briarstar placed her tail the flustered tom’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright Duskcloud.” She assured calmly despite her raging headache. “You tried your best to resume order, but the Clan speaks true when they demand the word of their leader before continuing with a normal routine.” 

Duskcloud relaxed under her touch and nodded briefly to his leader. Briarstar then turned and hopped on top of the HighStone. The black tom scaled up beside her and nervously scratched behind his ear, waiting to her to speak. She closed her eyes and took in a few more deep breaths before she felt as if she could speak clearly to her Clan.

“Good morning, cats of MoonClan.” She began slowly. 

“I’m sure you are well aware of what has happened last night at the gathering. Firstly, Webstar has announced to the Clans that wolves or foxes have killed Stormblaze.”

A few mew of sadness left the mouths of a select few MoonClan cats. Cinderfoot noticeably ducked her head as the clearing was swept over with silence. “He has appointed Fallenleaf as the new deputy which I know will upset most of you but his decision is not my main concern from last night.” The leader added.

Swiftclaw’s yellow eyes met the leader’s with an intense glare from her last words but he remained quiet as she went on. “We may have not been on good terms with RainClan, but as you can all imagine, watching a cat from their own Clan murder their leader in front of all of us was absolutely horrible to witness. And for all of you who don’t know what happened last night, Splashfur killed Boulderstar, using the Ritual of Mutual Passing as her excuse.” 

A couple cats’ mouths gaped open in shock at her news. Briarstar gulped in some more air and her head throbbed on. “I feel nothing but sorrow for RainClan’s lost as Boulderstar was a wise and noble leader who didn’t deserve to die by the claws of his own deputy. We should pray to StarClan in hopes that he has arrived safely to them.”

From the crowd, she spotted Swiftclaw baring his teeth slightly. He had narrowed his eyes into slits and was glaring more at the leader from her words. 

“Does this mean we will cancel the battle we’ve been preparing for for this past moon and let them get away with crossing borders and hunting in our territory?” He finally spoke up, his pelt puffing in anger. “I really hope I haven’t worked my paws off for nothing!”

With the combined feelings of annoyance at the gray tom’s outbursts and the pain of her headache killing her, Briarstar finally snapped.

“You know what Swiftclaw, why can’t you just, just shut up about battles and fighting all the time?” She spat, surprising the entire Clan. “I will get to the battle eventually, but for now, I was trying to be sympathetic to a Clan in need. RainClan just lost their leader, now isn’t the time to battle with them.”

A few cats gasped at her response while, unsurprisingly, Swiftclaw took a few strides forward, his yellow glare unwavering. “Now that RainClan is weak without their once powerful leader, I say we should attack them now.” He retorted, unsheathing his claws like he was going to pounce on the leader at any moment. 

Briarstar’s pelt fluffed at the thought of his long claws digging into her skin, but remained silent as he continued with his rant. “After what Splashfur did, I’m pretty sure StarClan would agree with me and won’t give her nine lives.” He explained loud enough for the whole camp to hear. “She’s an untrustworthy, bloodthirsty, murderer and is no shape to mentally lead RainClan. Do you not understand why this our prime chance to finally teach them a lesson of borders? They wouldn’t stand a chance so we should go ahead and attack while they’re vulnerable!”

The gray and white warrior had a point. It seemed like the perfect time to attack RainClan and weaken them even more as they wouldn’t be as strong as they usually are as they had no current leader to lead them properly. Nevertheless, Briarstar had felt that the rival Clan should be left alone for awhile while they dealt with the loss of their leader. But she knew that if she waited too long, there would be a higher chance of Splashfur actually becoming the leader of RainClan and forcing her clanmates down the bloody path of war with the whole forest.

“Swiftclaw’s right Briarstar!” Bramblefall had yowled out, breaking the leader from her wandering thoughts. “If we want RainClan off our tails, then we must attack before Splashfur can do anything else irrational!”

Several more cats voiced their agreement with the calico she-cat. “I told you we should have attacked them sooner!” Lionpaw shrill voice had risen above others. “Doing these stupid patrols has only weakened us as a whole!”

Rowanheart was even slowly nodding along with them as well as Hawkpelt from the corner of her eye. This caused the leader’s fur to bristle uncomfortably. She stood back in anger as the majority of the MoonClan cats were voicing their agreement in unison. Her closest allies were all turning their backs on her! 

She angrily unsheathed her claws at this realization and let out a yowl.

“All of you, silence!” Briarstar ordered, losing her nerves. 

She hopped to her paws and held her head high at her next order. “We shall not attack RainClan until they’ve had time to heal after Boulderstar!” She decided, going against the majority of her Clan. “That is final!”

Swiftclaw’s mouth gaped open to argue but Echospirit had slinked up beside him and silenced the tom with the gentle wrap of her tail around his middle. The gray and white warrior dipped his head in respect to the leader but his tail lashing out behind him gave her the truth that he didn’t like her decision. 

A leader’s word was law and no cat with a working brain would go against them. Unless the leader was spouting absolute nonsense, then, by the will of StarClan, their clanmates could dispose of them, which was Spashfur’s situation in Briarstar’s opinion. 

She stared back at the whole clearing of cats, most of them wearing the same unsatisfied glare on their faces as Swiftclaw, and continued on with her speech, unfazed by their disagreement. Briarstar knew what was best for her Clan and no one could tell her wrong unless it was StarClan themselves. 

“We will give them a week’s time to recover then we strike their camp at night.” She continued, surprising everyone once again. 

“Flameheart!” At her call, the orange tom immediately jumped to his paws and met the leader’s gaze.

“Since you volunteered to spy, I want you to start tonight and going on every night for the rest of this week.” She instructed carefully. “Make sure to cover your scent with bile before and after crossing their border. We don’t want them finding any trace of MoonClan in their territory.”

Now interested, Duskcloud stepped up and cut in, his voice stronger and more confident than before. “Their camp wall is made up of a pile of crushed rocks surrounding a small clearing.” He informed loudly. 

“You may come across a hill before you reach the camp and you’ll be able to see inside the clearing a little, through cracks in the wall, that is if they haven’t filled them in yet. Take in everything you can about their night routine and Splashfur herself, if you can see her, from there. If you can’t see inside, then hide in the brush and keep your ears open and aware of any sounds you can pick up from inside, but do not go anywhere near the camp or it’s entrance.”

Flameheart was nodding along to everything he was saying, his ears erect to take in the information. Briarstar didn’t appreciate his interruption but what he was stating was useful for the young tom to know. She wasn’t very knowledgeable on RainClan’s territory so it was nice to have some insight on how they lived and where they lived as well.

She then silenced her deputy with the sharp flick of her tail and went on with her own instructions. “Every morning that you return, you should report anything useful to know about them to Duskcloud or Swiftclaw. I also want Swiftclaw in charge of battle training.”

The gray and white tom snapped his head up in surprise at the leader’s order and blinked gratefully at her for the role given to him. In return, the leader gave him a small smile and looked back at Flameheart.

The young warrior nodded, seemingly understanding the directions, and then sat back down. Cedarlight, his mother, crossed in front of him and began licking briskly at his ears. She must have felt worried for her son’s first mission and was comforting him like he was still a kit in the queens cave. The tom was obviously embarrassed by her actions as seen by his attempts to push her away, but his father, Feathertail came up from behind him and nuzzled his face. 

Briarstar felt satisfied at their competence and dipped her head to her Clan. “Duskcloud is sending out patrols now so I suggest you follow his orders unless you want to hear from me. That is all.”

With that, the cluster of cats broke apart into little groups and Duskcloud jumped down so he could direct the patrols. Briarstar hopped down and went straight to the medicine cat cave. Her headache was killing her and she couldn’t continue on with her day without seeing if Cinderfoot could help. She narrowly missed the patrol of Feathertail, Amberstone, and Finchpaw as they rushed past her to exit the camp. The cats needed to make up for the day as they had wasted the most of the morning in camp. Amberstone dipped her head in apology when she bumped past the leader and then hurried to catch up with her patrol.

Brushing through the vines that protected the cave from the outside, Briarstar made her way inside the medicine cat cave in search for her healer. In the dim lighting, it was slightly difficult to see where she was placing her paws, but through the small cracks of light that spilled in from the roof, the tortoiseshell slowly made her way down the path, further into the cave.

To her dismay, the attitude ridden Petalpool was lying in a far corner, deep inside the cave near the herb storage, licking slowly at her oddly rounded stomach. Sagepaw was standing to her side, rolling a bundle of leaves into a ball with her paws. The leader watched as the gray apprentice licked her paw and stuck the leaves together around some berries. The bundle was then passed to Petalpool and the older cat ate them without hesitation. At that moment, Briarstar couldn’t tell if this was the same ill-tempered warrior that sent the leader glares wherever she went. Petalpool had a look of sickness spread across her face as she swallowed the herbs with disgust and then licked her lips to rid herself of the taste. She felt a pang of sorrow as she watched the sick she-cat gag, a ripple of displeasure striking through her.

“Thanks Sagepaw.” The seal-pointed she-cat said with a slight groan. She slowly rose to her paws and padded around the apprentice. “I’m going to lay down for a bit, but hopefully this stops the ache.”

“What’s the matter?” Briarstar stepped in, surprising the both of them. 

The seal-pointed she-cat noticeably tensed when she made eye contact with the leader and shook her head. “Nothing Briarstar, I’m going to rest for a bit.” She dismissed before adding snarkily, “I hope you don’t mind too much.”

With that, she brushed past the leader and exited the cave in quick steps. Briarstar didn’t feel the need to hiss out a retort at the sick she-cat so she just sighed and faced Sagepaw who was brushing up the remained leaves that were scattered around her.

“Hey Sagepaw, where did Cinderfoot go?” The leader asked as the gray and white she-cat cleaned up her mess of herbs.

“She just told me that she was going to collect some more herbs, Dock Leaves mainly,” She replied, glancing up from her sorting. “What’s wrong?” 

Briarstar crossed the cave and sat down in one of the makeshift nests used for sick cats. “Nothing serious, I just have a headache.” She told her, wrapping her tail around herself. “Do you think you have anything for it that I can use, or should I wait for Cinderfoot to return?”

Sagepaw looked offended at the leader’s question as she finished tidying the herbs and she shook her head. “You know I’m not just a little kit playing with herbs anymore right?” She hissed, surprising the leader with her cold tone. “I’m a medicine cat apprentice and have been one for going over two moons.” 

She then added with a sarcastic whisper,“You would think I would’ve learned a few things from Cinderfoot, but I guess since you never come to observe my training then you wouldn’t know.”

Briarstar opened her mouth to apologize for offending the young she-cat’s position but Sagepaw just turned briskly around to dig aggressively at a pile of herbs that she just organized. Eventually, she got out what she was looking for, a pawful of crushed daisies, and tossed them halfheartedly at the tortoiseshell she-cat.

“Eat that Feverfew and come back later if you’re still hurting.” She directed harshly, sweeping back up the excess herbs with her tail with her back facing the leader. “Maybe if I did something wrong, you can ask Cinderfoot when she gets back.”

Confused and hurt, Briarstar quickly lapped up the crushed, discarded flower. Once done, she glanced up and saw that Sagepaw had disappeared back to where her and Cinderfoot’s nests were. The tortoiseshell she-cat decided not to bother her anymore and exited the cave in a hurry to get away from the negative air that had formed between them. She didn’t mean to offend the young she-cat, all she wanted was some help with her headache.

With the sour taste of Feverfew still clinging on her tongue, the leader made her way to the camp entrance and scrambled up to the top. The land looked brown and bleak from Leaf-bare striping the trees from their once green leaves. The clouds above were large and puffy and the air was crisp and cool, giving the leader an idea of what cold weather was to come. Briarstar took a moment to get her head together before she plunged herself into the cool undergrowth of the forest. Her paws took her across her territory before she eventually came to stand at the cliff that led down to the stream that marked the border between HazeClan and MoonClan. 

From the top of the ledge that led down to the mossy ground and water, she could make out two shapes across the border. Squinting her eyes, she realized that both of the shapes were cats from HazeClan. One of the cats was the young warrior Brackenflight, a reddish brown tabby tom. The leader remembered him from a previous gathering when he and his siblings were announced to be warriors. His fur had grown out a bit and some tufts of hair sprouted around his head and at the tip of his tail, giving him an odd appearance.

Brackenflight was speaking to the other cat, a slim gray and white tom who Briarstar hadn’t met before. By his size, the cat seemed to be a small warrior but the leader couldn’t tell exactly if he was or just an apprentice. After taking a quick look around to make sure no other warriors were with them, she angled her body downwards and with flattened ears and pressed whiskers, she leapt off the cliff. She flew down and landed safely on the moss, her paws sinking in uncomfortably with a squelching noise. Unsheathing her claws, the tortoiseshell clawed her way free from the moss and padded confidently over to the edge of the stream, her paws making prints in the wetness behind her. 

The gray and white tom noticed her first and the fur on his neck and down his spine rose in alarm. This caused his clanmate to stop talking to him and look at her as well. Briarstar dipped her head politely to the two toms while the gray tom hissed lowly from their side of the border.

“Greetings HazeClan cats.” She meowed, lifting her head to look at them clearly.

The gray and white tom tried to look intimidating as he puffed out his chest but Briarstar couldn’t feel any less afraid as he was tiny compared to his clanmate beside him. 

“What do you think you’re doing here?” The small tom hissed with a squeak. “HazeClan owns this whole stream, and we don’t accept no trespassers!”

Before he could say anymore, Brackenflight brushed his tail across his face and dipped his head peacefully to Briarstar. “Sorry about Birchfrost,” He apologized to the MoonClan leader, glaring at his clanmate. “He has something wrong with his head today. Pretty sure it was the gathering last night, right?”

Birchfrost shook the tail from his face and hissed out at the she-cat once again, ignoring his clanmate’s question. She noticed with curiosity that the tom had two different colored eyes, one brown and the other blue, which made him look even more crazed as he cursed her. “Oh hush up, my head’s just fine!” He proclaimed, his body twitching nervously. 

“It’s that kittypet over there, making me all uncomfortable. Just seeing her gives me the itch. She shouldn’t be near our water or she’ll taint it”

Brackenflight just hummed impatiently and narrowed his own eyes on the leader while she tried not to laugh at the smaller tom. 

“So what are you doing here?” He repeated, suspension rising in his voice. “Spying or something? Making sure that we didn’t cross over the border like the apprehensive leader you are?”

The MoonClan leader scoffed at his accusations and leaned her head down to the water. “Nothing to get your tail twisted about.” She assured irritably. “I just wanted a drink and then I’ll be on my way. What are you doing here, young warriors? Chatting by the stream doesn’t seem like something Webstar would be happy about seeing.”

Birchfrost puffed up his chest in pride and pushed his way in front of Brackenflight. “For your information kittypet, Fallenleaf sent us here to guard this border.” He informed, foolishly. “We here are supposed to be looking for any weaklings that happen to cross over and-”

Brackenflight cuffed his ear and glanced sheepishly back at the leader, probably hoping that she hadn’t heard. Briarstar took notice of this, sensing that the crazed tom was hiding something along with his clanmate that wasn’t supposed to be known to her. She pretended as if she hadn’t heard his statement and leaned her head down to the surface of the water.

Without looking back up at her enemies, she took a few long laps from the stream, its liquid calming her senses for a few moments. Her peace was short lived though when her ears twitched at the sound of a growl.

She snapped her head up and leapt back at the sight of the golden beast of Fallenleaf staring her down from the reflection of the stream. His intense green glare followed her as she backed up into the moss of her territory and he growled again. 

“Kittypet.” He rumbled, not taking his eyes off of the tortoiseshell she-cat as he took another step closer.

Birchfrost and Brackenflight were now standing behind the older warrior, both of their pelts bristling uncomfortably. They seemed to be just as afraid of the deputy as Briarstar was as shown by their wide, weary glances between each other and him.

‘I hope he isn’t abusing his clanmates while in the position of deputy.’ Briarstar noted, holding her stare with the golden warrior. She then shook her head and stood up straighter, her chest puffing out. ‘No that’s not likely. Webstar wouldn’t allow that as he wants his warriors strong, mentally and physically.’

“Fallenleaf, I was just coming for a drink and now I am leaving.” She stated, tossing her head to the side to show him her way of exit. “There is no need for confrontation.”

The large tom glanced down at the stream then back at her to confirm that she hadn’t crossed the border. Thankfully, Fallenleaf just snorted and turned briskly around, his long pelt flattening out. He sent a glare towards Birchfrost and hissed out something that Briarstar couldn’t hear, but from the looks of it, it wasn’t pleasant as the gray and white tom’s eyes darted to the ground.

A slight breeze ran through the deputy’s pelt showing off his bones, giving the tom a starved appearance. Briarstar couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for HazeClan as they were always the skinniest out of the Clans. Their territory didn’t always provide them with as much prey as the rest of the Clans, making it more difficult to survive in the forest.

As the tom pushed his way through his clanmates, she called out once more. “How’s Spiderclaw, Fallenleaf?” She yowled as he was padding away.

Since she didn’t get a chance to ask the night before, she wanted to make sure that the snappy medicine cat was still kicking and scratching after being mysteriously absent from the gathering.

Fallenleaf stiffened and halted to turn his body slightly to look at her. “Why do you care?” He retorted impatiently.

“Because she wasn’t present last night, at the gathering.” She replied, feeling more confident now that he was actually responding with more than just an abrupt snap.

A long pause came over them and the only sound that came to her ears was the trickling of the stream going downhill between them.

“She’s alive.” He said finally before disappearing quickly into the dark forest of HazeClan territory, his clanmates scurrying after him.

His short statement didn’t make Briarstar feel any better about the medicine cat’s well being. Worry rose in her chest as she took notice of the HazeClan’s recent behavior as they were being rather fearful of everything, including their own leaders. Birchfrost being the newest example to the MoonClan leader as his wild eyed, anxious mannerism left the leader feeling rather bothered in her core. She silently sat down at the stream’s edge and despite the displeasure of moss soaking her pelt, she closed her eyes and prayed to StarClan. ‘Please StarClan send me a sign that I’m doing things right. This prophecy makes no sense and my clanmates are slowly turning against me. I don’t know what to do and I need your guidance.’

Briarstar stayed by the stream with her eyes shut, waiting hopefully for some sort of message from StarClan but as the day grew darker and colder, her hopes diminished. She opened her eyes at the sound of pawsteps slowly approaching and let out a sigh when she recognized the scent of the cat.

“Hey Speckfoot, how are you?” She greeted the black and brown she-cat.

In turn, Speckfoot purred and pressed her pelt beside hers, making it warm for the both of them. “Oh I’m alright,” She replied with a slight chuckle. “I just came here to get a breather from camp.”

The black and brown she-cat smiled to herself and glanced across the dark stream. “Clovertail insisted that I stay holed up in the queen’s cave until the kits come. I haven’t had a breath of fresh air all day since Rainwhisker and her kits were all in there as well. So I snuck away for the moment to get some water and quiet time.”

Briarstar let herself laugh at that. “I remember that treatment from Cloudfoot, back when I was young and expecting my kits.” She reminisced, glancing up at the darkening sky. “He was so worried about me losing any of them. He wanted everything to be perfect and in the end, it sort of was.”

Her clanmate shook her head and purred softly to her. “I can’t even imagine what it must've been like when you lost Adderkit.” She whispered in sympathy. “I know kits are the most important thing to a Clan and a queen herself, so that had to be devastating.”

Briarstar’s mood was brought back down again at the mention of her dead kit. She sniffed and held her head high despite her opposing feelings of sadness. “It was a tragedy, as is any death of my clanmates.” She forced herself to say. “Adderkit’s death only taught me a lesson in that you should keep your loved ones close to you and to protect them with your life.”

Speckfoot nodded slowly. She seemed to notice Briarstar’s stiff stance and began licking at her ear. Briarstar appreciated her clanmate’s genuine efforts at calming her nerves with the grooming and purred lowly in content.

‘At least someone cares,’ She thinks as her clanmate continued to groom her. ‘Hopefully the rest of this Clan can follow in her pawsteps and treat me with some respect.’


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait to anyone who actually reads this thing! I won't drag this along anymore so here's the new chapter! Remember, I appreciate criticism or any helpful comments!

A rush of cold air blew over Briarstar’s stiff, tortoiseshell body as she slept. She shivered and curled into herself in what she thought was her nest before taking a sniff at her paws. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to realize that she wasn’t in her nest at all, but in a freshly snowed on clearing. The dark blue sky was glittered in stars, the world was quiet, and as she started to wake up more, she recognized the clearing as the place she received her nine lives. ‘So I’m in StarClan?’ She wondered, staring at the tall pines, whose leaves were patterned with white crystals of frost.

“I’m afraid so, Briarstar.” A soft voice whispered from behind her, just about scaring her fur off.

The tortoiseshell jumped to her paws, without any feeling any previous pain to her head, and to her surprise, the familiar shape of her father, Crowstar stood behind her. His black pelt stood out darkly to contrast the white snow around them as his sad blue eyes met hers.

“Father, what am I doing here?” She demanded, her pelt pricked in urgency. “I need to get back to my Clan.”

RainClan could’ve been doing StarClan knows what to her body as she slept, not able to fight back in any way. They could’ve been on their way to attack MoonClan at that very moment and she couldn’t run home to warn them!

Crowstar just sighed and directed her gaze over to another shape that formed out of the mist. Squinting her eyes, she made out the body of another cat, a tortoiseshell that looked scarcely similar to herself, right down to the green eyes.

“Who-” She began, but her father shushed her with a flick of his tail, a flurry of snow flying up with it.

“You are losing your first life, Briarstar.” He told her, his voice grave. “This is a piece of your spirit coming to rest with us in StarClan. Eight more gone, and you’ll join us completely.”

Her voice got caught in her throat at his statement. ‘No!’ She cried internally. ‘I died by the paws of a RainClan cat!’

As her father rested his tail on her shoulder, the MoonClan leader dipped her head and closed her eyes. ‘I’ll try to be more careful with these next few lives,’ She promised in her head but her father seemed to read her thoughts as he removed his tail and licked her face gently.

“I know you’ll try your best, but I can see darkness looming close by you in the remaining seasons of your life.” He said shakily as if he was scared of her for some reason.

The large black tom held fear in his eyes as he gazed at his own daughter which she was confused by. Briarstar had never seen her father more afraid than in that moment and she swallowed a gulp when he spoke again.

“I just hope you can fight off the dark urges that will soon cross your path and come out in the end as a stronger and brighter leader.” His voice cracked, sounding just as wrecked as it was on the day the GorgeClan patrol had found Sadie’s dead body, all those moons ago. “A leader we all want you to be for MoonClan.”

Briarstar blinked back a tear and purred more reassuringly to her father. “There will be nothing to worry about, Crowstar.” She said with only a morsel of confidence. “I can handle this.” 

She pushed her head briefly to his chest and nuzzled under his chin.

Crowstar didn’t respond to this and Briarstar let out a surprised yowl as the clearing began to rapidly erupt from around them. Trees jolted up and uprooted themselves from the ground. They came crashing down all around, snow being sent up into a blizzard.   
Her father and the pale outline of her spirit had wisped away, leaving the leader to deal with the abrupt disaster. She leapt to her paws and hurried to escape from the trees falling around her, the thought of darkness spreading to her sending a chill down her spine. 

Briarstar gazed up at the sky and noticed with astonishment that all the stars had vanished, leaving a blackened abyss that seemed to go on forever. As she ran, somehow, one of her paws got caught ahold of a stray branch from one of the falling trees and she tripped upon her attempt to jump over a tumbling pine. With another yowl, the she-cat was sent crashing into a pile of snow. A wave of darkness spread across her vision as she slowly regained her consciousness and footing on solid ground. 

When she opened her eyes once more, she was greeted by the sight of a dark, cozy, den. Her head throbbed from most likely the rock that had killed her. But as she reached up to feel the wound, she felt that nothing was bleeding. The raised bump of a scar stretched across the top of her head which she felt for a few moments before placing her paw back on the ground in confusion. Briarstar began to observe her surroundings, the fear within her steadily rising as she took in the overwhelming scent of RainClan cats. The den she was settled in was seemingly the medicine cat’s place as she spotted a herb supply poking out from a corner across the den. 

The walls that enclosed her were made up of the thin trees that she and Flameheart had seen on their way through the territory. But unlike those, the pieces of wood seemed to be woven together by expert paws that somehow mended the tree branches with vine stems and leaves. Briarstar assumed that this was what kept the warmth inside the den, which was one thing that she could appreciate despite being in an enemy’s camp. She sat up in the nest, which was compiled of moss, and kneaded her paws nervously as she waited to be confronted by someone. 

‘I’m just waiting to be killed once more by another psychopathic RainClan warrior,’ Her mind began to conjure. ‘Or maybe I’ll be so badly wounded that I can’t return to my own Clan.’ With that thought in mind, the she-cat shuffled more restlessly in the nest but dared not to stand up in fear of what may be lurking in the shadows. 

Briarstar didn’t have to wait long with her dark thoughts as she was met by the scent of an approaching RainClan cat. Through the darkness of the den, she made out the shape of the cat but couldn’t recognize them clearly in the dim lighting. She assumed that it was still night or early morning since she couldn’t see anything but darkness through even the smallest cracks in the walls of the den. The cat had went straight to the herb storage to deposit something before turning suddenly at hearing the MoonClan leader shift uncomfortably in the nest she was in. The cat padded over in a hast and soon, she could recognize that the cat was RainClan’s medicine cat, a mottled gray and white tom named Mosspelt.

Mosspelt halted in front of the leader and he unexpectedly dipped his head in respect. With an equally respectable tone, he asked, “How are you feeling Briarstar?”

Briarstar was surprised by his soft voice and how genuinely concerned he sounded when addressing her. He sounded as he if was treating her as if she was a young kit that stepped on a thorn, which irritated her slightly.

She cleared her throat and rose her head snarkily, “I’m just trying to figure out how to get out of the mess my clan mate put me in, stuck inside this rotting place. Other than that, I’m just great.”

Mosspelt didn't seem amused by her response and sat down with a tired sigh. “Look, I just asked how are you feeling, not what you're thinking about.” He pointed out with the impatient roll of his eyes. “No need for you sarcastic attitude here. Do all of you MoonClan cats have to be so difficult to work with?”

The leader took back her previous thought about how the tom was nice and just flicked a piece of moss from her claws, trying to appear unaffected by the thought of being attacked in her enemy's camp. For all she knew, he could be a murderer just like his clanmates, and he could just be trying to distract her until he strikes.

“I don't feel any pain other than the stiffness in my legs.” Briarstar admitted truthfully, just to get him to stop glaring at her. “I feel better than I have in the last few weeks actually.”

Mosspelt nodded while making a humming noise and turned away, giving the leader a chance to let go of the breath she was holding. She thought of her Clan and how ashamed they would be if they way she was acting towards a medicine cat, a RainClan medicine cat at that. She dipped her head in shame as he stood in front of her. Mosspelt walked around her and it could’ve been her anxiety thinking, but it seemed as if he was sizing her up despite her being a bit larger than him. The she-cat sat down, closed her eyes, and braced herself for another attack as she was too tired to even jump up to fight back. 

The gray and white tom didn't attack her.

She snapped open her eyes that were previous shut tight and watched as he snorted and went back over to his herb stash. Mosspelt picked out some herbs that looked similar to the black poppy seeds that grew up in the mountains, and wrapped them in a leaf.   
Once he was satisfied with the way they were wrapped, he picked it up in his mouth and brought it over to Briarstar. As he dropped it at her paws, the she-cat sat stock still, unsure if she could trust his herbs or not. Mosspelt rolled his eyes at her hesitation and prodded the herb closer to her paws.

“Briarstar, I'm a medicine cat,” He said plainly. “It's my duty to take care of injured cats, from of my Clan or not. I wouldn't give you anything that I wouldn't give to my own clanmates.”

The MoonClan leader was still hesitant to take the medicine but after a harsh stare off between the two of them, she admitted defeat and lapped up the herb wrap and chewed it with a grimace on her face. Mosspelt hummed again and then placed one of his paws on top of her head, where the scar was stretched across.

“Let’s take a look here.” He said, softly rubbing his paws across her head.

The feeling of a strange cat’s paws on her without claws digging in made her shiver a bit internally but she stayed still as he examined her closer. He hummed to himself in curiosity as he felt her over for anymore injuries, his paws pressing around her torso before moving them back up.

“You've lost a life, haven't you?” He whispered, running his paw over her scar again. 

The MoonClan leader grew stiff with silence at his question. She knew leaders never told other cats if they had lost a life or not, so it was surprise to hear that the RainClan cat figured it out so quickly. She was about to ask how he knew but he just let out a small chuckle.

“Of course you did,” He told her, finally removing his paw from her head. “No normal warrior would survive an injury as severe as yours.” 

Briarstar didn’t remember what happened after she passed out and lost her life, so she tilted her head in confusion, “What do you-”

“Sootface had basically crushed your skull in half when he went after you.” He explained, explicitly. 

Briarstar shuddered in fear at his words and gulped as he went on.

“As soon as he realized what he’d done though, he dragged you into camp and Nightfrost ordered him to bring you to me. You were too far gone to remember, so I waited for a while to see if you were really dead, but that was before I was informed that Splashstar had also been injured in the fight. I actually just got back from helping her settle in.”

The black and brown tom, now known as Sootface, had killed her in cold blood without remorse just because she was part kittypet. Or, he could've heard the commotion Flameheart had caused with Splashfur and rushed to help his clanmate. Either way, she knew that however long she was stuck there, she didn't want to cross paths with him again. 

Mosspelt shook her from her thoughts as he let out a drawn out sigh. “You have some explaining to do to our Clan in the morning.” He said seriously. “For one, you were caught trespassing in RainClan’s territory. Two, you attacked our leader and broke her leg.”

Briarstar dipped her head in apology at that, even though she was pleased at hearing Splashfur’s injured state. “It was Flameheart who did that, not me.” She pointed out bitterly, cursing the young tom’s foolish actions in her mind. “I had ordered him to leave, but he just ignored me to go after her. You have to believe me because we initially came here for peace and-”

Evidently, Mosspelt didn’t want to her excuse as he proceeded to shush her with his tail while she was mid explanation. He gave her ear a swift lick. “You can tell this to the rest of the Clan tomorrow. Right now, you should rest.”

‘What's it with medicine cats insisting that I'd rest all the time. I’m not that old!’ She thought bitterly before tucking her paws underneath her. 

“Fine, see you in the morning then.” She grumbled out. 

The medicine cat didn't say another word. He sighed and then crossed the den to settle into his own nest, beside the herb stash. Briarstar closed her eyes and forced herself to fall back asleep, the feeling of dread for the forthcoming morning clouding over.

 

...  
The next morning was an early one for Briarstar as she was prodded awake from her dreamless state of sleep by a paw to her side. She jolted awake and her eyes darted around to spot whoever disturbed her, only to slow down realizing it was just Mosspelt.

The gray and white tom sat down across from the tortoiseshell, a serious and stone cold look stretched across his face, similar to the one her had when he performed the ritual at the previous gathering. He rose a paw up and gave it a lick before brushing it over his whiskers at an attempt to flatten them. Briarstar shuddered but she wasn't sure if it was from the coldness of his gaze or the frigid weather outside blowing in. Either way, the leader was unsettled. As she went to puff up her long coat, she paused when realizing that it was matted with dried mud, twigs, and other debris from her travels there. 

Mosspelt blinked slowly. “Our leader would like to see you now.” He addressed her quietly. “Follow me.”

With that, the tom stood and made his way to the entrance. Briarstar rose to her paws and skirted after him, her pelt sticking uncomfortably to her skin. She could immediately feel the hostility around the camp towards her as she and the medicine cat stepped out into the frost-bitten clearing. 

Snow must have fell silently overnight as the whole of RainClan’s camp was sprinkled with dusts of white, some areas deeper than others, giving the area a whimsical look. Even with the calming atmosphere created by the snow, the MoonClan leader couldn't feel anything but anger rise out from the clearing of cats watching her. Their gazes of hatred were colder than the snow that packed between her paws as she padded nervously behind Mosspelt. She could recognize a few familiar faces such as Dustfern and Nightfrost, both glaring at her from opposite sides of the clearing, as well as the more friendly face of Stonepaw, one of Toadpaw’s friends from the gathering.

The clear face of the cat who killed her had appeared from the crevices of one of the camp's dens, causing the leader to falter in step behind the medicine cat and stumble a bit in the snow. Sootface made no attempt to hide the fact that he was proud of attacking her as he whispered something to a small gray and white dappled tom before chuckling and sending her a smirk with his fangs. The two cats made it across the clearing without any real disturbance and halted at the mouth of a moss covered, hollowed-out, log den. Briarstar could still smell Boulderstar’s scent clinging from inside so she could assume this is where the leaders of RainClan slept.

Mosspelt turned to her and said, "Wait here,” before padding inside the den, leaving the MoonClan cat alone with the eyes of an enemy Clan watching her every move.

Just as she glanced over to the camp’s entrance, two cats darted over to block the way, as if the whole thing was rehearsed. One was a slim, orange tabby tom while the other was Sootface himself. He glared tauntingly at her as she now had nowhere to escape. Briarstar stared at her paws and listened distantly to the hushed voices coming from inside the leader’s den, before backing away slightly when she heard Splashfur yowl, “Alright!”

Mosspelt came out of the den first, his fur slightly ruffled from the words shared between himself and the she-cat, and nudged the tortoiseshell to take a few steps back to make room for Splashfur. Only a few short moments passed before the MoonClan leader came face-to-face with the pale brown she-cat again as she dragged herself out of the den, leaving a trail in the snow behind her. Splashfur sent a surprisingly elegant nod to Briarstar as she passed her to sit in the middle of the camp to then face her clanmates. Mosspelt and Nightfrost sat on either side of her and Briarstar stayed where she was while the whole Clan gathered around them to pay attention. 

“Good morning, my loyal subjects of RainClan.” Splashfur began with a sickly sweet voice.

Briarstar didn’t like the way she addressed her clanmates as subjects as it implied that they were lesser than her, but dared not to speak her disdain in a place where she knew she would be shredded in an instance for doing so. 

“We gather on this snowy morning to address a disturbance in our home. Not only has HazeClan began pestering us for help, but it seems like MoonClan has as well.” Splashfur tilted her head and directed their collective attention to Briarstar. 

She felt a bit over exposed in the heart of RainClan and lowered her head in submission as several cold gazes swept over her body. “MoonClan’s leader herself came with a patrol to seek out our help. Instead of receiving that help, you ended up only helping yourself as you attacked me.”

What the she-cat was saying was making little to no sense, as usual, but Briarstar remained silent as she continued. “They attacked me without her order, showing how much control she really has over her clanmates, and they left me with a broken leg. What do you have to say for yourself Briarstar, or dare I say, kittypet?”

Briarstar head snapped up at the insult, but decided to ignore the petty jab and answer the question. “I formally apologize for my clanmate’s hostile nature as he was only protecting me as you came running at me first.” She stated calmly.

Splashfur bared her teeth but didn’t get out what she was going to say because Briarstar continued in a hurry.

“Look, I can assure you that we both only came for peace to your camp. I wanted to settle the bad air that had spread between our two Clans by talking out our differences and coming up with a compromise so an impending war didn’t occur.”

She felt inherently proud of the lie she just came up with in that short amount of time. The leader believed that her statements held some truth as she and Flameheart were a small patrol who posed no threat to RainClan, and coming to talk while the scenery of night submerged them showed that they were just vulnerable enough not to scare them. Some of the RainClan cats even seemed to be nodding in understanding of where she was coming from which boosted her confidence even more. The leader sat up straighter as the rival Clan collectively softened their gazes and looked to the pale brown she-cat in charge for her response. 

Suddenly, before Splashfur could get out another word, Dustfern spoke his disagreement from the crowd. “I don’t believe this kittypet for one moment!” He yowled, glaring at the tortoiseshell. “If she came with a patrol, in the middle of the night, who's to say they weren’t coming to attack us? Or even spy on us in our own camp? Think about it Splashfur, I mean Splashstar, she’s lying!”

Briarstar internally panicked at his call out and focused her gaze briefly to the sky. She gulped in the cold air and let the air seep out slowly from her mouth in an attempt to calm herself down before glancing back at the pale she-cat. At his outburst, Splashfur flicked her tail in the air and in one split second, the shape of a slim, white and brown-patched she-cat, came running towards the tom from the crowd. She pounced on him and planted his face directly into the snow. 

“Thank you Cedarthorn.” Nightfrost called to the she-cat.

“What you’re saying is prosperous Dustfern.” Splashfur dismissed him with the calm shake of her head. 

“Firstly, a patrol that small would be outnumbered greatly by our entire Clan. And spies-” She breaks to laugh- “MoonClan is smart enough not to spy at their enemies’ campsite. They would be caught instantly because of their mountain stinch clouding up the air.”

The white and brown she-cat that was restraining Dustfern let him resurface from the snow when he began to thrash around for air and when he resurfaced, Briarstar saw that his whole body shaking from the cold. He didn’t say another word after that and padded away to hide in one of the dens. 

Splashfur faced Briarstar again. “What you say seems to hold up with me and the majority of my Clan, right?” She said, leaning against Nightfrost for support. The black she-cat starred hostilely at her enemy but nodded to what her leader had to say.

Just as the MoonClan leader was beginning to feel hopeful for her freedom, the RainClan ‘leader’ had to ruin it by speaking again, “But any leader would know better than to let you go unharmed. After all, peaceful or not, you crossed into our territory, unwelcomed, and harmed me and my Clan.”

Briarstar gulped and her eyes darted around quickly in fear. ‘Dear StarClan help me please,’ she pleaded staring at the cloud covered sky. ‘They’re going to kill me again!’

Her silent pleads ended when Splashfur cleared her voice and brought her attention back to her. 

“I’ve decided that in order to send a clear message to MoonClan, we will kept their precious kittypet leader behind our camp walls for awhile, while under constant surveillance, just until we are sure she isn’t lying to our faces and gets away with it. How’s that sound?”

Briarstar felt her stomach drop at her order but as an outsider looking in, she couldn’t do anything about the situation brought onto her. All she could do, with the energy she had left, was to dip her head in acceptance as RainClan voiced their reluctant agreement with their leader.

With that, Splashfur concluded the meeting and signaled for Mosspelt to help her back to her den. Cats lingered in the clearing, their eyes still on Briarstar as Nightfrost stood up to speak. 

“I want two patrols out this morning.” She demanded briskly.

“Sootface, you will lead a patrol to the MoonClan border to make sure no one else has crossed over. If you see any of their cats, then tell them we have their leader and won’t give her back until Splashstar has made some sort of decision. If they argue, then escort them here so she can speak to them herself, but don’t you dare let them ambush you. If it comes to a fight, then you know what to do. ”

The brown and black-faced warrior nodded sharply, and with one last menacing glance at the MoonClan leader, he strided over to a group of cats to, seemingly, pick out some to patrol with. Noticeably by the tortoiseshell she-cat, he chose the stronger looking and more fit cats from the bunch and then his established group of five gathered at the camp entrance. 

Among the group was Toadpaw’s gossip friend from the gathering, the gray and black spotted apprentice called Stonepaw. The few times that the leader spoke to him were pleasant and polite as the tom wasn’t snooty like a lot of his clanmates were so seeing that he was alright relieved her a bit. 

His mentor was Ashcloud, a rippled gray tom. The gray tom was about the same age as Hawkpelt and she recalled the two being distant gathering friends as well, but as they grew older, their Clan loyalties divided them. The older gray tom shook his head at Briarstar which made her feel like he was disappointed in her, even though he didn’t know her very well.

‘He probably doesn’t even know I’m Hawkpelt’s mother.’ She assumed as he sauntered by, his heavy tail dragging in the snow. 

Briarstar kept her head low while he and Stonepaw passed by, the apprentice prancing through the snow with excitement in his steps as it was possibly his first time experiencing snow. She admired his joy filled spirit and could see why Toadpaw seemed interested in befriending him. He was more friendly than the other apprentices and seemed more focused on just caring for his Clan rather than fighting all the time.

Nightfrost snorted out loud as she watched the spotted apprentice practically skip his way across camp to stand with the rest of the patrol. Sootface and his patrol dashed out of camp after that, leaving a gust of flurried snow in their wake. 

Once gone, the black she-cat continued on with assigning the other patrol, “I want Cedarthorn leading the first hunting patrol of the day.”

The brown and white she-cat who jumped on Dustfern earlier had perked up and bounded up to Nightfrost. She twitched her tail excitedly and waited for the black she-cat to go on. “Bring Poppyfang and Ripplepaw with you. It won’t do the apprentice any harm to learn how to hunt in the snow while it’s light on the ground.”

Cedarthorn nodded politely to the black she-cat, “Yes Nightfrost, we’ll get right on that.”

At hearing their names, a young striped she-cat shyly made her way up to Cedarthorn with her mentor Poppyfang, a light brown and black tabby she-cat, at her tail. Briarstar recognized Ripplepaw from previous gatherings and from her lighter stripes that contrasted against her dark pelt.

Nightfrost waved them off with her tail and wished them good hunting, which surprised Briarstar. She thought the black she-cat was just as heartless as Splashfur but it seemed that when it came to her own Clan, she harboured some positive feelings.

Suddenly, as the leader was thinking this, Nightfrost turned to her with a suspicious and hostile look on her face. “Now you listen here, kittypet, I don’t care how much Splashfur believes in your little lie, but I can tell that that mouse-dung explanation came right out of that tail of yours.” She whispered, forcing down her anger a bit as there were still a few cats milling around the clearing. 

Briarstar’s stomach dropped and she gulped in fear of what the deputy was going to do. She knew she couldn’t lie again as that would only make things worse. As she stared warily into the cold blue eyes of the black she-cat, she silently wished to StarClan that they would take her away from here. 

Before anything could happen, the deputy spat out her next words, “I don’t trust your word for a moment and someone else will smell your dung if you’re not careful, which may end up with you being killed here. I want you out of my camp just as bad as you do so keep quiet and try to wait this out, okay?”

Briarstar was taken aback by what she was saying. She almost couldn’t believe her ears for a moment. ‘Is she helping me?’ She thought, staring at the blue eyed black cat in surprise.

Nightfrost seemed to read her mind as she whispered in a hiss, “In order for you to get out of here alive, you want to keep on your best behavior and not to bother anyone, especially not Splashfur. Is that clear Briarstar?”

All the tortoiseshell she-cat could do was nod, her mouth ajar like an apprentice who’s witnessed her first gathering. She didn’t know if she could trust the RainClan cat completely, but she would do whatever it took to get back to her own Clan. 

Nightfrost let out a satisfied purr and glanced over the other’s shoulder. “Good. Amberclaw!” She yowled, causing Briarstar to flinch. “Here now!”

A light brown tabby and white she-cat that looked very similar to Cedarthorn except heavier padded up to them, eyeing the MoonClan cat warily. “Yes Nightfrost?” She said.

Nightfrost tilted her head up in a dominating manner and sent Briarstar a cold glare. “Take this prisoner back to the medicine cat cave and stand guard over her for the day. I’ve had enough of her mountain stench in my presence.”

Amberclaw nodded and then nudged Briarstar in the side with her tail, gesturing for her to stand. She glanced once over her shoulder to see the black she-cat winking at her before slinking away into the leader’s den, her black pelt ruffled in fake displeasure. The tabby tapped her again and the MoonClan leader followed her, begrudgingly, back to the medicine cat den. Once inside, she was led to the back of the den and settled back down in the nest she previously slept on. The moss was now crushed down so it wasn’t as comfortable as it was the night before. It felt like she was laying on the cold dirt floor. 

As Amberclaw began to pad away, the sharp pangs of hunger struck in her belly causing her to groan. The RainClan she-cat turned slightly and gave her a look of genuine worry. “Are you alright?” She asked, lifting a paw in concern. “Do you need me to fetch Mosspelt?”

Briarstar rolled on her side and gave her matted belly fur one lick. “I’m a bit ravenous.” She told her, grimacing from the bitter taste of mud. “Do you think you could spare a piece of prey from your Clans pile?”

Amberclaw seemed nervous as the leader asked this as she stuttered out her reply, “I'll have to ask Nightfrost about that.”

Briarstar narrowed her eyes and waved her tail as a gesture to send her away to ask. The she-cat scurried away immediately. The tortoiseshell she-cat felt pleased to be a leader at that moment as she had the authority to even order cats from different Clans around without backlash. It was only a few moments later when the young warrior came padding back through the den, a frog in her jaws. Frogs weren’t the MoonClan she-cat’s favorite meal as she thought the texture of the creature was too tough and chewy, but she took the prey from Amberclaw without a word of dismay. She dipped her head in thanks and tore into the cold green prey with her claws.

While the frog tasted odd, it wasn’t necessarily bad and the leader finished it off quickly as she realized how hungry she actually was. Amberclaw had stood outside of the medicine cat den, blocking the entrance so all that Briarstar could do was wait it out.

The once pretty she-cat glanced over herself and sighed. ‘Might as well get cleaned up while I have nothing to do.’ She thought, stretching one of her front legs out to begin grooming her disgusting pelt.


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not posting on this for well over a month! Life got in the way and prevented from editing this chapter for a while. I'm getting ready to graduate from High School so things are busy for me. Anyway, I won't ramble. Here's a new chapter and I hope you enjoy!

A few hours had passed as the MoonClan leader sat in the medicine cat den of the RainClan camp, grooming herself in her nest. A small pile of twigs and leaves laid in a mushy heap beside her, all pulled out from her once matted fur. She was relieved once she could shake out her fur with ease and sat up to discard the rubbish. Amberclaw was still sat as guard at the entrance of the den so when the leader stood up, she must have heard her because she poked her head inside to investigate. Briarstar scraped up her debris with her claws and stood to take it out when the tabby and white she-cat blocked her path. 

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” She stammered, attempting to appear fierce as she forced her ears to be pointed and chest to be puffed out in front of the older she-cat.

To say Briarstar wasn’t very imitated was an understatement but nonetheless, she tipped her head down and directed her attention to the pile of mush at her paws, “Settle down fluffy, I wasn’t trying to escape. I was just going to throw this outside.” 

“You’re not allowed to leave this den.”

The leader took another step forward and rolled the clump towards the warrior. “It’ll stink up the whole den if I keep it in here.”

Amberclaw’s nose wrinkled in disgust as she just caught whiff of the mixture of saliva, mud, possibly dung, and twigs coming from the mush. She made a noise of displeasure as she hesitantly took the mush with her own paw and rolled it outside, her cheeks puffed up to hold her breath. Briarstar snorted to herself at her semi dramatic response and turned back to her nest. The MoonClan leader didn’t lay back down immediately though as when she stretched, she felt a twinge in her back and winched in pain. Her back had begun to throb from resting on the hard ground. The older she-cat began to scrape up the discarded pieces of moss that made up the nest and rolled them into a ball that had smelt sour. With one quick look around the den to make sure Amberclaw wasn’t back yet, the tortoiseshell cat grabbed the moss and darted out of the den into the cold clearing. 

Amongst the lightly snowed on, sunlit clearing, four cats occupied a corner of the camp. It was a mother and her three kits. Briarstar recognized the mother, a pure white she-cat named Frostleaf, and closed her eyes in displeasure as she remembered that she was one of the most arrogant cats she’s ever met from RainClan. Every time she had spoken to her, it always seemed that she was trying to make herself seem better than everything and everyone by bragging and complaining. She swore that Frostleaf was a kittypet at some point in her life as she didn’t do anything for her Clan but produce kits and throw fits when things didn’t go her way. She barely even knew how to hunt from what the MoonClan cat recalled, and was always easily distracted. 

Briarstar saw her as more worthless than anything to RainClan than anything and couldn’t help but wonder why they haven’t gotten rid of her yet. She watched with the soiled ball of moss in her mouth as her newest litter of kits played around in the snow, tossing it in the air and rolling around in it. Frostleaf was mewling something to them as she waved her tail playfully when one of them jumped on her back. She in turn squeaked in fake pain and rolled over as it grabbed at her leg. Seeing them play without a care in the world made her yearn for simpler times back when she herself was a kittypet. Although she would never give up her responsibilities as leader to go back and live with twolegs, she sometimes wondered if things were different, and would she be happier? 

She wouldn’t have to deal with so much loss and would live comfortably without a worry of sickness or starvation. 

A tap on her back broke her from these thoughts and she jumped around to see Amberclaw standing there. “Nightfrost told me that you’re not supposed to leave the medicine cat den without an escort.” She stammered. “These are the rules in our Clan for you to follow and if you don’t then we’ll have a problem.”

Briarstar spat out the moss and met her amber gaze calmly, “Alright, I understand the rules, but before I go back, can you help me out with something else?”

The brown and white she-cat tilted her head to the side. “Guess that depends on what you want help with,” She replied with a bit more confidence.

The MoonClan leader chuckled at her and pointed at the ball of moss with her tail. “I would like to kindly request a fresh nest to sleep on.” She told her. “Could you make me a new nest since you are my escort? I am still a Senior Warrior after all and I have old, aching joints. I would prefer not to sleep on the cold, hard ground you know?”

Briarstar then glanced at the sky, her next words bordering on dramatic, “I would go out and do it myself, but alas the rules of your confinement.. confine me from doing so.”

Amberclaw’s face changed briefly into one similar to many her clanmates as she snarkily hissed. “But that’s an apprentice’s job!” She argued, the fur on her neck flaring up.

Briarstar rose her head in surprise at her tone. She narrowed her green eyes on the tabby and white she-cat and with a more attitude-ridden voice she hissed, “Well when there’s an apprentice free, can you send them my way since you’re too uptight to help me?”

Amberclaw made a hmph noise in irritation and stomped her way over to the log where the leaders were. Her lashing tail was the last thing she saw before she disappeared inside. The tortoiseshell she-cat sighed, shaking her head at her retreating form before picking up the moss again.

‘Young cats have no respect these days,’ She thought with the roll of her eyes before turning back towards Frostleaf and her kits. The white she-cat hadn’t moved from her laying down position but the kits had relocated farther back into the camp. 

The largest kit, a golden colored she-cat, had a crumpled up leaf in her mouth and was running around while her two brothers, one a darker brown and white color and the other a tabby with white paws, chased her. She was squeaking out something that Briarstar couldn’t make out while they ran after her, tossing up snow in their trail. Frostleaf seemed to notice the leader’s appearance then but rather than scurry away, she called out to her with a mew, waving her fluffy tail. Briarstar closed her eyes briefly in disdain then looked back to where Amberclaw went. She hadn’t reappeared from the log den so the leader dropped the moss and padded slowly over to the white she-cat. 

“Greetings Frostleaf,” She greeted politely as she stood in front of the queen. “Good to see you again.”

The white she-cat purred up at her. “Briarstorm, it’s been a while hasn’t it?” She commented rather politely. “How’s everything in the mountains, still bitter and cold?”

Briarstar bit her tongue at the jab. ‘Not as bitter as this conversation,’ She wanted to retort but held it in.

“I wouldn’t know as I’m stuck in your camp for the time being.” She decided on, still sounding angry. “And my name’s Briarstar now. It has been for a couple of moons.”

Frostleaf’s ears flattened down to her head as she looked apologetic. “ Sorry Briarstar, I didn’t mean to offend you and the statue of your leadership-ness. I’m sure you’re just what MoonClan needs after that rough battle, a couple moons ago was it?”

The leader internally rolled her eyes at that as the queen continued, “Well now, I guess this whole situation just stinks for you huh? Being away from your Clan and all has got to be tough.”

Briarstar gave her a look that read, ‘What do you think?,’ in which Frostleaf didn’t catch as she was distracted by looking at her kits.

“I kinda understand the feeling of wanting to escape sometimes as I’m in camp all the time now with my kits, but it’s probably way worse for you. At least I have them to entertain me.”

The queen gestured over to them and the three started making their way back over to her. The big golden one, a she-cat spoke first, “Who’s this weird cat, mother?”

The darker tom added with a wrinkled nose, “Yeah she smells awful, can you tell them to leave?”

Briarstar wanted to hiss at his rudeness and when she glanced back at their mother, it enraged her to see her nodding with them. 

“Yes she does smell weird and that’s because she’s from MoonClan.” She explained to them.“She doesn’t belong here, kits. Cats from the mountains all have that stench, but don’t worry she won’t be here for long, will you Briarstar?”

The MoonClan leader glared at her and was about to respond when the queen cut her off.

“Oh by the way Briarstar, this is my newest litter of kits.” She states before pointing at the large golden she-cat who was staring up at her in curiosity. “This is Sunkit. She’s sort of the leader of her two brothers, aren’t you sweetie?”

Sunkit nodded to her mother and swished her tail out dramatically to show off. “Yep, I’m going to be leader of RainClan one day. That means we’ll be enemies.”

Briarstar gritted her teeth and said lowly, “We already are enemies, young kit.”

Frostleaf chuckled at that and pushed the next kit, the darker tom, up with her tail, “Yes that’s true, now this is Antkit.”

The small dark brown tom had white paws and was still looking at Briarstar with disgust. He didn’t say a word though and Briarstar deflated at bit. The last kit was hiding behind his mother which prompted Frostleaf to pick him up by the scruff and show him to her. 

“And this is Troutkit, he’s a bit shy.” She concluded, dropping the tabby kit on his paws.

The small tabby kit known as Troutkit shook with fear as his wide blue eyes met the larger leader’s. His mother gave his head a lick and he leaned into her as he kept his eyes warily on the unfamiliar cat.

On one side, the MoonClan leader couldn’t care less about her rival Clan’s kits, but at the same time, the sight of kits generally warmed her heart and made her think of her own kits. She leaned down to calmly greet Troutkit when she froze in fear at hearing a sudden growl from a distance. She turned around and, to her dismay, she saw Sootface re-enter the camp from the entrance with his patrol flowing in from behind. While his patrol broke apart to go to their dens, he went straight over to them, eyes blazing in anger.

“What do you think you’re doing out here, kittypet?!” He demanded, his pelt fluffed in protectiveness. “Especially with my mate and kits?” 

Sootface’s long claws were outstretched and raised at the leader as she cowered to the ground in fear, still thinking about what he had done to her just the night before. 

She took a deep breath before replying shakily, “Look Sootface, I’ve done nothing to your mate or your kits. I was just talking to her, is that a problem?”

The black faced, brown tom glared harder at her question and bared his teeth to attack when Frostleaf stood up to shove him backwards, “For StarClan’s sake, give her some space, Sootface!”

“What are you doing, Frostleaf?” He growled, his face twisted in confusion. “Chatting with this prisoner with not a care in the world? She could’ve killed you without anybody watching, all because of some stupid she-cat gossiping.” 

She spat at him and pushed him back again until Briarstar couldn’t see him anymore because the queen’s body obscured her view from her position on the ground. 

“Oh shut up Sootface, you dirty piece of fox-dung.” She shot back at her mate. “Leave our guest alone! She wasn’t doing any harm by talking to me, like she said before. If you weren’t so shallow, you might have heard her or even seen that we were all just fine before you got here!”

Briarstar was taken aback by the she-cat’s sudden change in personality as the queen spat insults at her mate and defended the MoonClan cat. Her past misconceptions about RainClan must have been just based solely on the actions of a few cats as the more she spent time with the individuals, the more she realized that these cats had more feelings and emotions that weren’t stuck up all the time. 

She slowly sat up as Sootface took a dangerous step towards his mate. “Firstly, you shouldn’t be talking to me that way.” He shot back, shoving his black muzzle in her face. “Secondly, that kittypet isn’t a guest, she’s a prisoner. A prisoner that we can’t trust and should always have a guard of some sort with her so she won’t end up hurting anymore of us.”

Sootface then looked over her shoulder and met Briarstar’s wary gaze with his own fierce one. “Where is your guard?” He said with the lash of his tail. “I know Nightfrost isn’t stupid enough to leave you out here alone.”

Briarstar’s eyes darted to the ground as if she was an apprentice getting chastised for stealing prey. She couldn't find her sense of confidence in that moment as being sat in front of her murderer, a cat seemingly so evil that he had no remorse in what he’d done, had shaken her up. 

“Amberclaw was my guard.” She said to him. “She just went to the-”

“Amberclaw,” Sootface spat her name in disgust, cutting the leader off. “That mouse-hearted little…” The tom trailed off and swung his large head angrily to look across the camp.

His eyes darted around the clearing and his pelt fluffed even more from frustration as he searched for the young she-cat. Just as he growled out loud at the sky, his breathe causing smoke to erupt from his mouth, the brown and white she-cat appeared, her head poking out from the mouth of the leader’s den. 

She padded out into the clearing and cautiously made her way over to the MoonClan leader and her clanmates, her tail dragging in the snow. Sootface confronted her first by stepping in her path and hissing, “Amberclaw, how could you be so stupid, leaving this prisoner in camp with your mother, by herself? You saw what she did to Splashstar, both times, and know she can’t be trusted!”

As the younger cat lowered her head in shame, Frostleaf groaned in annoyance and stood beside him to speak, “Don’t listen to your father Amberclaw, he’s just got a stick up his tail, as usual.” She rolled her eyes to show her own annoyance at her mate’s actions. 

“Briarstar has done no harm to me so you shouldn’t feel bad. We were just doing some light, friendly gossiping,” The white cat then whipped her head around to glare at her mate, “And you can’t tattle to Splashstar about that, Sootface.” 

Amberclaw lifted her head and smiled at her mother’s comments and leaned against her. Frostleaf gave her daughter a lick on her ear and she nuzzled her briefly. The gesture wasn’t appreciated by Sootface as Briarstar’s ears flattened at hearing him growl again.

He had whipped his dark head around to look at his mate again and bared his teeth. “You stay out of this and get back inside your den!” He said, looking as if he was going to turn his own mate into crowfood.

“Take the kits and go now! We don’t need anymore of your nonsense distracting our daughter and changing the way she behaves! That kittypet is a prisoner and shall not be treated with any more respect than a rogue, leader or not. That’s final.”

Briarstar eyes widened in shock at hearing the tom speak to his mate in such a harsh way. She suddenly felt guilty for thinking that the white she-cat was worthless to her Clan as it seemed as she was only trapped there by Sootface’s rage. 

Frostleaf just stared defiantly at him with a hard blue stare. “You’re not my leader and you can’t do any-” She began when, in lightening speed, Sootface swiped out with his claw and hit her in the face. 

The tortoiseshell she-cat gasped out loud in astonishment as the white she-cat stumbled back onto the ground from the strength of his blow. Her mate then loomed over her, his orange eyes holding no remorse as he hissed, “Go,” into her ear.

At this point, it seemed that she could nothing else but listen to him, seemingly in fear of what he would do next. Amberclaw still had her head down across from them, letting out small sniffles from the scene. Briarstar wished to go comfort both of them but dared not to move as Sootface looked at her again. She forced herself to look away from him and gave the white she-cat one last look of desperation as she rose to stand. Frostleaf quietly gathered her three small kits with her tail and rounded them back towards what Briarstar would think was the Queen’s den. She padded away, her shoulders slumped from exhaustion and her muzzle red with blood.

The MoonClan cat couldn’t imagine wanting to stay with a mate that would treat her like that. Cloudfoot was the sweetest tom she’d ever met and wouldn't dream of abusing her for the seasons they were together. He supported her through the tough times, helped raise Hawkpelt with her even after they lost Adderkit, and jumped in front of her in battle which killed him in the end. Even in the afterlife, cared about her. Point was, Briarstar believed mates were supposed to love each other and if they didn’t, they should separate before more problems emerge, like with Sootface and Frostleaf. 

Sootface glared after his mate as she and the kits disappeared into the den before looking back at Amberclaw. “Now if you’re smart, you will listen to me, unlike your stupid mother.” He said, his voice soft and manipulating. “Stop that crying and get to your paws.”

The brown and white she-cat stood up quickly at her father’s order and blinked away the tears that threatened to escape her amber eyes. “Take the prisoner back to the medicine cat den and stay there with her until Mosspelt returns. He went out awhile ago but should be back before sunset, understood?”

Amberclaw nodded silently and Sootface eye’s met Briarstar’s again. “Get up and go with her, prisoner. I’m tired of your dung. Lurking around in my camp and talking to my mate will get you nowhere but dead again. I won’t hesitate to shred you of all of your lives while you’re here.”

Briarstar wanted to yell out, ‘I’d like to see you try,’ but bit back the retort and instead stood up to shake the snow that packed in her pelt from laying down for so long. Afterwards, she followed the young she-cat back to the medicine cat cave without looking back at the tom. 

It was still dark inside the den but the leader made her way to where her nest was by scent and sat down in the empty dirt patch. She curled around herself angrily, her fluffy tail tickling her tail as she forced herself to go back to sleep.


End file.
